Winnipeg Declaration
Encyclopedia
The Winnipeg Declaration (sometimes referred to as the Winnipeg Manifesto) was the programme adopted by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF) in Canada
to replace the Regina Manifesto
. Its full name is the "1956 Winnipeg Declaration of Principles of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation" and it was adopted at the party's national convention held that year in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
to a more moderate form of social democracy
and Keynesian economics since its founding during the Great Depression
. It also reflected the increased pragmatism that coloured the party since taking power in the province of Saskatchewan
. The anti-communist mood of the Cold War
also caused the CCF to seek to moderate its stance. CCF federal vice-president and future New Democratic Party
leader David Lewis
was instrumental in drafting the document and having it approved.
in which "there will be an important role for public, private and co-operative enterprise working together in the people's interest". The declaration also moderated earlier demands for a planned economy
and where the Regina Manifesto declared that the CCF would not rest until capitalism was "eradicated" the 1956 declaration affirmed that "The CCF will not rest content until every person in this land and in all other lands is able to enjoy equality and freedom, a sense of human dignity, and an opportunity to live a rich and meaningful life as a citizen of a free and peaceful world."
, until 1983 when it was replaced by the Statement of Principles
.
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) in 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 replace the Regina Manifesto
Regina Manifesto
The Regina Manifesto was the programme of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and was adopted at the first national convention of the CCF held in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1933. The primary goal of the "Regina Manifesto" was to eradicate the system of capitalism and replace it with a planned...
. Its full name is the "1956 Winnipeg Declaration of Principles of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation" and it was adopted at the party's national convention held that year in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Evolution of the party
The declaration reflected the evolution of the party from socialismSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
to a more moderate form of 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 Keynesian economics since its founding during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It also reflected the increased pragmatism that coloured the party since taking power in the province of Saskatchewan
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....
. The anti-communist mood of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
also caused the CCF to seek to moderate its stance. CCF federal vice-president and future 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...
leader David Lewis
David Lewis (politician)
David Lewis, CC was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to 1950, and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party in 1961...
was instrumental in drafting the document and having it approved.
From nationalization to mixed economy
Where the Regina Manifesto called for a socialist economy in which major sectors of the economy would be nationalized and placed under public control, the Winnipeg Declaration called for a mixed economyMixed economy
Mixed economy is an economic system in which both the state and private sector direct the economy, reflecting characteristics of both market economies and planned economies. Most mixed economies can be described as market economies with strong regulatory oversight, in addition to having a variety...
in which "there will be an important role for public, private and co-operative enterprise working together in the people's interest". The declaration also moderated earlier demands for a planned economy
Planned economy
A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...
and where the Regina Manifesto declared that the CCF would not rest until capitalism was "eradicated" the 1956 declaration affirmed that "The CCF will not rest content until every person in this land and in all other lands is able to enjoy equality and freedom, a sense of human dignity, and an opportunity to live a rich and meaningful life as a citizen of a free and peaceful world."
Statement of principles
The Winnipeg Declaration remained the basic statement of party principles of the CCF and its successor, the New Democratic PartyNew 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...
, until 1983 when it was replaced by the Statement of Principles
Statement of Principles (NDP)
The New Democratic Party's Statement of Principles was adopted in 1983 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, at the 12th Federal NDP Convention. It replaced the Winnipeg Manifesto which had been created in founding the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation ....
.