Socialist Party of Canada
Encyclopedia
There have been two different but related political parties in Canada that called themselves the Socialist Party of Canada (SPC). The current Socialist Party is an electorally inactive and unregistered federal political party in Canada
. The first Socialist Party of Canada existed from 1904 to 1925; the second has existed since June 1931 when it was relaunched by some members of the first party, but has not run a candidate at the federal level since 1961.
The party had a revolutionary Marxist
orientation: it saw attempts to reform capitalism as counterproductive to the goal of overturning the capitalist system entirely and replacing it with a socialist model. The SPC was strongest in British Columbia
, and won seats in the province's legislature
.
In 1907, a moderate faction of the SPC split off to form the Social Democratic Party of British Columbia (SDPBC). In 1911, the SDPBC became the Social Democratic Party of Canada
(SDPC). The SPC and the SDPC were bitter rivals for several years.
In Winnipeg, the Manitoba branch of the SPC
was initially a rival to the city's reformist labour groups. The SPC may have been responsible for defeating of centrist labour candidate Fred Dixon
in the election of 1910
. The resulting backlash from trade union groups weakened the SPC in Winnipeg for a number of years.
As a result of the Russian Revolution
and the Winnipeg General Strike, a number of the SPC's supporters became attracted to Bolshevism and the ideas of Vladimir Lenin
and Leon Trotsky
. Those who rejected Leninism moved towards an evolutionary or gradualist socialist position. In 1920, a split occurred when many of the party's members left to join the Federated Labour Party of Canada, which was formed by the British Columbia Federation of Labour. Other SPC members joined Labour and Independent Labour parties that were being formed throughout the country. (See Labour Party.)
From 1903 to 1912, a number of SPC members were elected as Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs) in British Columbia. The apex of the party was in the 1912 election
when it fielded 17 candidates, winning two seats in the legislature, and 11% of the popular vote. The pressures of having such a large caucus (up from two the previous election) caused fissures in the party, and it was wiped out in the next election. It never won another seat in BC.
The party was a marginal political force in Manitoba until 1920, when George Armstrong
was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
for Winnipeg on a "united labour" list. Armstrong was defeated in 1922, due in part to opposition from communist politicians in the city.
In 1921, most of the Marxist members left the SPC to join the Workers Party, which was the legal wing of the new Communist Party of Canada
. In 1925, the Socialist Party formally disbanded. Many of its remaining members joined the Independent Labour Party.
to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
. Other provincial sections never ran candidates. Some of these wings and organizations were founded prior to the federal party.
, Guelph
, Galt, Paris, Preston, Orillia, Manitoulin Island
and Mt. Forest.
which rejected Leninism
, social democracy
and trade unionism in favour of a belief in "revolutionary Marxism
and democratic revolution."
The Socialist Party did not make great headway, as the fractured groups of the left coalesced to form the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF). While the Socialist Party of Canada (British Columbia)
(which was founded in 1932 by Ernest Winch
independently of the SP of C founded in Winnipeg) joined and eventually merged with the CCF to form the BC CCF, the Winnipeg-based SP of C remained outside of the CCF (and its successor, the New Democratic Party
), rejecting its evolutionary socialist approach as being "reformist
". The SPC remained independent of the broader socialist movement, and spread its message by holding town hall meetings, open air rallies, and distributing literature at farmers markets and street corners. It viewed itself as the party for the underdog.
In October 1933, the party launched the New Western Socialist Journal, a periodical, to help bring publicity to the party. The first two issues criticized the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Communist Party of Canada
for allegedly compromising with capitalism. The SPC never found a reason to change its attitude towards the two parties.
During World War II, the SPC campaigned against the war, stating that working class blood should not be shed. During the war, while the Communist Party was outlawed, the SPC continued to hold anti-war demonstrations and rallies. The party was investigated by the Government of Canada
, but was never taken as a serious threat.
The Socialist Party continued to publish socialist manifesto leaflets through the years. When funds permitted, it ran candidates in elections. In the late 1970s, the head office was moved from Winnipeg to Victoria, British Columbia. The membership of the Socialist Party continued to decline, and the party admits that it never managed to live up to the "success and glamour" of the old party. The party has not wavered from the original policies that it adopted seventy years ago.
The Socialist Party promotes the ideal of utopian socialism
. It seeks to achieve this by distributing socialist material around the world. The party believes it must spread the word to the world, and that socialism must be implemented everywhere at the same time in order to work.
The bulk of current party members are in British Columbia and Ontario. It publishes a journal, Imagine, and distributes the literature of the Socialist Party of Great Britain.
The Socialist Party of Canada is a member of the World Socialist Movement
along with its "companion parties", the Socialist Party of Great Britain, the World Socialist Party (Ireland), World Socialist Party of Australia, World Socialist Party (New Zealand)
, and World Socialist Party of the United States
.
Note:
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The first Socialist Party of Canada existed from 1904 to 1925; the second has existed since June 1931 when it was relaunched by some members of the first party, but has not run a candidate at the federal level since 1961.
First Socialist Party of Canada: 1904 - 1925
The founding of the Socialist Party of Canada began at the Socialist Party of British Columbia 4th annual convention on December 30 and 31, 1904. Delegates at the convention were urged to consider organizing the nucleus of a federal party, noting the acceptance of the platform with Socialist Parties and organizations in other provinces. Socialist organizations quickly approved the party formation, and the new party executive met for the first time on February 19, 1905.The party had a revolutionary Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
orientation: it saw attempts to reform capitalism as counterproductive to the goal of overturning the capitalist system entirely and replacing it with a socialist model. The SPC was strongest in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and won seats in the province's legislature
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
.
In 1907, a moderate faction of the SPC split off to form the Social Democratic Party of British Columbia (SDPBC). In 1911, the SDPBC became the Social Democratic Party of Canada
Social Democratic Party of Canada
The Social Democratic Party was a social democratic political party in Canada founded in 1911 by members of the right wing of the Socialist Party of Canada. these members were dissatisfied with what they saw as that party's rigid, doctrinaire approach...
(SDPC). The SPC and the SDPC were bitter rivals for several years.
In Winnipeg, the Manitoba branch of the SPC
Socialist Party of Canada (in Manitoba)
The Socialist Party of Canada was a revolutionary Marxist organization, founded in 1904 as a merger of the Socialist Party of British Columbia and related groups in Manitoba and Ontario, Canada....
was initially a rival to the city's reformist labour groups. The SPC may have been responsible for defeating of centrist labour candidate Fred Dixon
Fred Dixon
Fred Dixon was a Manitoba politician, and was for several years the dominant figure in the province's mainstream labour movement.Born in Englefield, England, Dixon was not a socialist...
in the election of 1910
Manitoba general election, 1910
Manitoba's general election of July 11, 1910 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The result was a fourth consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party of Manitoba, led by premier Rodmond Palen Roblin. Roblin's electoral machine won...
. The resulting backlash from trade union groups weakened the SPC in Winnipeg for a number of years.
As a result of the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
and the Winnipeg General Strike, a number of the SPC's supporters became attracted to Bolshevism and the ideas of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
and Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
. Those who rejected Leninism moved towards an evolutionary or gradualist socialist position. In 1920, a split occurred when many of the party's members left to join the Federated Labour Party of Canada, which was formed by the British Columbia Federation of Labour. Other SPC members joined Labour and Independent Labour parties that were being formed throughout the country. (See Labour Party.)
From 1903 to 1912, a number of SPC members were elected as Members of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLAs) in British Columbia. The apex of the party was in the 1912 election
British Columbia general election, 1912
The British Columbia general election of 1912 was the thirteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on February 27, 1912, and held on March 28, 1912...
when it fielded 17 candidates, winning two seats in the legislature, and 11% of the popular vote. The pressures of having such a large caucus (up from two the previous election) caused fissures in the party, and it was wiped out in the next election. It never won another seat in BC.
The party was a marginal political force in Manitoba until 1920, when George Armstrong
George Armstrong (Manitoba politician)
George Armstrong was a politician and labour activist in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1920 to 1922, and is notable as the only member of the Socialist Party of Canada ever to serve in that institution.Armstrong was born in East York, Ontario, and...
was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
for Winnipeg on a "united labour" list. Armstrong was defeated in 1922, due in part to opposition from communist politicians in the city.
In 1921, most of the Marxist members left the SPC to join the Workers Party, which was the legal wing of the new Communist Party of Canada
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
. In 1925, the Socialist Party formally disbanded. Many of its remaining members joined the Independent Labour Party.
Provincial and territorial wings
At the founding of the first Socialist Party of Canada, it had over sixty local affiliates including provincial and territorial wings. Some provincial wings had more success than the federal party, such as the Socialist Party of Alberta's election of an MLAMember of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
. Other provincial sections never ran candidates. Some of these wings and organizations were founded prior to the federal party.
Socialist Party of Ontario
The Socialist Party of Ontario (later "Socialist Party of Canada") was a provincial political party in Ontario, that merged in 1905 into a national political party, the Socialist Party of Canada (SPC). It was founded at a convention of the Ontario Socialist League held on Thanksgiving Day 1903, at which the League changed its name to the Socialist Party of Ontario. The new Party got off to a good start numerically, the convention being attended by about fifty delegates from Toronto, St. Thomas, LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
, Galt, Paris, Preston, Orillia, Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...
and Mt. Forest.
Other provinces
- Socialist Party of Alberta (formed while still part of the Northwest Territories)
- Socialist Party of British Columbia
- Socialist Party of Manitoba
- Socialist Party of Yukon
- Socialist Party of Quebec
Second Socialist Party (1931 - present)
A new Socialist Party of Canada was founded in June 1931 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by several former party members. While it claimed continuity with the original party, this claim was disputed by various members of the original party. The new party adopted the policies of the Socialist Party of Great BritainSocialist Party of Great Britain
The Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...
which rejected Leninism
Leninism
In Marxist philosophy, Leninism is the body of political theory for the democratic organisation of a revolutionary vanguard party, and the achievement of a direct-democracy dictatorship of the proletariat, as political prelude to the establishment of socialism...
, social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
and trade unionism in favour of a belief in "revolutionary Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and democratic revolution."
The Socialist Party did not make great headway, as the fractured groups of the left coalesced to form the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
(CCF). While the Socialist Party of Canada (British Columbia)
Socialist Party of Canada (British Columbia)
The Socialist Party of British Columbia was a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada, that merged in 1905 into a national political party, the Socialist Party of Canada...
(which was founded in 1932 by Ernest Winch
Ernest Winch
Ernest Edward Winch was a British Columbia politician, trade unionist and socialist. He was a BC Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLA in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly from 1933 until his death in 1957....
independently of the SP of C founded in Winnipeg) joined and eventually merged with the CCF to form the BC CCF, the Winnipeg-based SP of C remained outside of the CCF (and its successor, the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
), rejecting its evolutionary socialist approach as being "reformist
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
". The SPC remained independent of the broader socialist movement, and spread its message by holding town hall meetings, open air rallies, and distributing literature at farmers markets and street corners. It viewed itself as the party for the underdog.
In October 1933, the party launched the New Western Socialist Journal, a periodical, to help bring publicity to the party. The first two issues criticized the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Communist Party of Canada
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
for allegedly compromising with capitalism. The SPC never found a reason to change its attitude towards the two parties.
During World War II, the SPC campaigned against the war, stating that working class blood should not be shed. During the war, while the Communist Party was outlawed, the SPC continued to hold anti-war demonstrations and rallies. The party was investigated by the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
, but was never taken as a serious threat.
The Socialist Party continued to publish socialist manifesto leaflets through the years. When funds permitted, it ran candidates in elections. In the late 1970s, the head office was moved from Winnipeg to Victoria, British Columbia. The membership of the Socialist Party continued to decline, and the party admits that it never managed to live up to the "success and glamour" of the old party. The party has not wavered from the original policies that it adopted seventy years ago.
The Socialist Party promotes the ideal of utopian socialism
Utopian socialism
Utopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, and Robert Owen which inspired Karl Marx and other early socialists and were looked on favorably...
. It seeks to achieve this by distributing socialist material around the world. The party believes it must spread the word to the world, and that socialism must be implemented everywhere at the same time in order to work.
The bulk of current party members are in British Columbia and Ontario. It publishes a journal, Imagine, and distributes the literature of the Socialist Party of Great Britain.
The Socialist Party of Canada is a member of the World Socialist Movement
World Socialist Movement
The World Socialist Movement is an international organisation of affiliated socialist parties created in 1904 with the founding of the Socialist Party of Great Britain...
along with its "companion parties", the Socialist Party of Great Britain, the World Socialist Party (Ireland), World Socialist Party of Australia, World Socialist Party (New Zealand)
World Socialist Party (New Zealand)
The World Socialist Party of New Zealand is a political party in New Zealand. It is revolutionary and anti-Leninist. It was founded in 1930 as the Socialist Party of New Zealand....
, and World Socialist Party of the United States
World Socialist Party of the United States
The World Socialist Party of the United States is a socialist political organization established in Detroit, Michigan as the Socialist Party of the United States in 1916 and which operated as the Socialist Educational Society in the 1920s and later the Workers' Socialist Party...
.
General elections
| Year | Candidates | Votes | Popular vote |
| 1904 federal election Canadian federal election, 1904 The Canadian federal election of 1904 was held on November 3 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Canada... |
3 | 1,794 | 0.18% |
| 1908 federal election Canadian federal election, 1908 The Canadian federal election of 1908 was held on October 26 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 11th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal Party of Canada was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in government with a majority government... |
5 | 6,071 | 0.52% |
| 1911 federal election Canadian federal election, 1911 The Canadian federal election of 1911 was held on September 21 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Canada.-Summary:... |
6 | 4,574 | 0.35% |
| 1921 federal election Canadian federal election, 1921 The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader... |
1 | 3,094 | 0.10% |
| 1925 federal election Canadian federal election, 1925 The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held on October 29 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 15th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party formed a minority government. This precipitated the "King-Byng Affair".The Liberals under... |
1 | 1,888 | 0.06% |
| 1926 federal election Canadian federal election, 1926 The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held on September 14 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called following an event known as the King-Byng Affair... |
1 | 672 | 0.02% |
| 1935 federal election Canadian federal election, 1935 The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central... |
1 | 251 | 0.01% |
| 1958 federal election Canadian federal election, 1958 The Canadian federal election of 1958 was the 24th general election in Canada's history. It was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 24th Parliament of Canada on March 31, 1958, just nine months after the 23rd election... |
2 | 1,113 | 0.02% |
By-election May 29, 1961
| Candidate | District | Votes | Popular vote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Poirier | Esquimalt—Saanich Esquimalt—Saanich Esquimalt—Saanich was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1953 to 1988.This riding was created in 1952 from parts of Nanaimo riding.... |
131 | 0.47% | 5 of 5 |
Note:
- The Library of ParliamentLibrary of ParliamentThe Library of Parliament is the main information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada...
does not differentiate the results of both parties.
Breakaway groups
- Socialist Party of North AmericaSocialist Party of North AmericaThe Socialist Party of North America was a political party founded in 1911, and the first in North America to adopt the Object and Declaration of Principles of the Socialist Party of Great Britain. The party was formed when the Toronto local of the Socialist Party of Canada seceded in protest over...
(1911–?) - World Socialist Party of CanadaWorld Socialist Party of CanadaThe World Socialist Party of Canada was a political party active in the 1960s. It was formed by members who broke away from the Socialist Party of Canada....
External links
- Socialist Party of Canada home page
- Socialist Party of Canada Constitution
- History of the Socialist Party of Canada, by J.M. Milne (1973)
- The Impossibilists A short history with selections from the press of the Socialist Party of Canada and the One Big Union, 1906–1938