United Reform
Encyclopedia
The United Reform Movement or United Reform was an attempt in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
, Canada
, to create a left wing farmer-labour coalition.
Clergyman Walter George Brown
won election to the House of Commons
as a United Reform Movement candidate in a 1939 by-election in the riding
of Saskatoon City, and was re-elected in the 1940 general election
with the endorsement of the National Government party (as the Tories were called in 1940). He died on April 1, 1940, five days after being re-elected.
The URM recruited Agnes Macphail
, a long time Member of Parliament
(MP) who had been defeated in the 1940 election to run in the by-election to fill Brown's vacancy. MacPhail had been an MP since 1921, first as a representative for the Progressive Party of Canada
and since 1930 as a United Farmers of Ontario
-Labour MP, although she was active with the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
. In deference to her nominators, she ran as a "United Reform" candidate in the August 1940 by-election, but was defeated by the Conservative candidate.
There was also a "United Reform" candidate in the Saskatchewan riding of Weyburn
who ran in the 1940 general election. As he ran against Tommy Douglas
of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
, and had the profession of company manager, it is unlikely he had any connection with Brown's United Reform Movement.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
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...
, to create a left wing farmer-labour coalition.
Clergyman Walter George Brown
Walter George Brown
Walter George Brown was a Presbyterian Church in Canada minister who opposed the formation of the United Church of Canada and was a United Reform Movement MP in the Canadian House of Commons.-Early life:...
won election to the House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a United Reform Movement candidate in a 1939 by-election in the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Saskatoon City, and was re-elected in the 1940 general election
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
with the endorsement of the National Government party (as the Tories were called in 1940). He died on April 1, 1940, five days after being re-elected.
The URM recruited Agnes Macphail
Agnes Macphail
Agnes Campbell Macphail was the first woman to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons, and one of the first two women elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
, a long time Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) who had been defeated in the 1940 election to run in the by-election to fill Brown's vacancy. MacPhail had been an MP since 1921, first as a representative for the Progressive Party of Canada
Progressive Party of Canada
The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manitoba...
and since 1930 as a United Farmers of Ontario
United Farmers of Ontario
The United Farmers of Ontario was a political party in Ontario, Canada. It was the Ontario provincial branch of the United Farmers movement of the early part of the 20th century.- Foundation and rise :...
-Labour MP, although she was active with 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...
. In deference to her nominators, she ran as a "United Reform" candidate in the August 1940 by-election, but was defeated by the Conservative candidate.
There was also a "United Reform" candidate in the Saskatchewan riding of Weyburn
Weyburn (electoral district)
Weyburn was a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1949.This riding was created in 1914 from parts of Assiniboia, Qu'Appelle and Regina ridings...
who ran in the 1940 general election. As he ran against Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
of 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...
, and had the profession of company manager, it is unlikely he had any connection with Brown's United Reform Movement.