Arthur Henry Williams
Encyclopedia
Arthur Henry Williams was a Canadian
trade union organizer and politician who served in both the Ontario legislature and the Canadian House of Commons
on behalf of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
. He was born in Tredegar, Wales
.
Williams lived in the Toronto
suburb of East York
, Ontario
in the 1930s and served as president of the East York Workers' Association, a Great Depression
era labour organization which was formed in 1931 to improve the situation of the unemployed and had 1,600 members by 1934.
Williams ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1934 provincial election
as a Ontario CCF
candidate and won 21% of the vote (30% in East York Township) coming in third place. He also ran for the House of Commons in York East
(the federal riding that included East York) during the 1935 federal election
for the national CCF but was defeated by Conservative Robert Henry McGregor
and the Liberal candidate.
One of the Association's campaigns led by Williams was to convince the East York town council to issue poor relief in the form of cash instead of vouchers. After the council agreed to issue cash instead of vouchers but reduced the value of relief payments the Association organized a "voucher strike" to raise the payments. Council reversed its decision and the Association retaliated by encouraging members to pull their children out of school which had the effect of reducing the provincial government's grant to East York. The Council then capitulated to the Association's demands only to have the Bank of Nova Scotia refuse to grant the municipality a loan which in turn caused the council to end cash relief and return to vouchers. In December 1935, Williams was elected reeve of East York.
However, Williams was more than three months in arrears in his rent and had to defend his right to take office as the provincial government had passed a law prohibiting anyone owing more than three months rent from holding office. A new election was scheduled but as no other candidates ran, Williams was acclaimed. The Workers Association under Williams also organized to block bailiffs from evicting families from their homes. The blocking of evictions had the support of many residents and Township officials, no matter their political views. Williams lost the reeve’s office when he ran for re-election in the December 1936 election but the Township's council continued to support the policy of blocking evictions and set a licencing fee for bailiffs and then refused to issue licences for two months giving families threatened with eviction a reprieve.
According to a local historian, "If a member of the Workers Association caught wind of an eviction about to take place,they would telephone other members and yell to their neighbours on the street “eviction.” Members would race by foot or by automobile if one were available to the house where the eviction was to take place. As the bailiff would remove the family’s furniture from the house, members of the Association would politely carry the furniture back into the house."
At the 1936 convention of the Ontario CCF, Williams filibustered against a resolution opposing a united front
between the CCF and the Communist Party of Canada
and was threatened with expulsion from the CCF for his behaviour.
Williams ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1943 provincial election
and was elected from the riding of Ontario which covered Durham County
and sat as an Ontario CCF Member of Provincial Parliament for two years until he and most of the CCF's MPPs went down to defeat in the 1945 provincial election
.
In 1948, he ran in a federal by-election
in the riding of Ontario
which occurred following the death of Liberal MP W.E.N. Sinclair and won. He served for a year until he was defeated in the 1949 federal election
when he came in third place.
Williams was active with the Canadian Congress of Labour
and spoke at its 1943 federal convention in support of a successful resolution for the union federation to endorse the CCF as the "political arm of labour".
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...
trade union organizer and politician who served in both the Ontario legislature and the Canadian 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...
on behalf 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...
. He was born in Tredegar, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Williams lived in the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
suburb of East York
East York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
in the 1930s and served as president of the East York Workers' Association, a 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...
era labour organization which was formed in 1931 to improve the situation of the unemployed and had 1,600 members by 1934.
Williams ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1934 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1934
The Ontario general election, 1934 was the 19th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 19, 1934, to elect the 90 Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ....
as a Ontario CCF
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section)
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation – The Farmer-Labor Party of Ontario, or more informally and commonly known as The Ontario CCF, was a democratic socialist political party that existed from 1932 to 1961. It was the provincial wing of the National CCF. The party officially had no leader in...
candidate and won 21% of the vote (30% in East York Township) coming in third place. He also ran for the House of Commons in York East
York East
York East was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons at different times, and a provincial electoral district. It was located in the province of Ontario.-Federal electoral district :...
(the federal riding that included East York) during the 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...
for the national CCF but was defeated by Conservative Robert Henry McGregor
Robert Henry McGregor
Robert Henry McGregor, PC was a long-time Canadian parliamentarian.MacGregor was a contractor and horticulturalist by profession...
and the Liberal candidate.
One of the Association's campaigns led by Williams was to convince the East York town council to issue poor relief in the form of cash instead of vouchers. After the council agreed to issue cash instead of vouchers but reduced the value of relief payments the Association organized a "voucher strike" to raise the payments. Council reversed its decision and the Association retaliated by encouraging members to pull their children out of school which had the effect of reducing the provincial government's grant to East York. The Council then capitulated to the Association's demands only to have the Bank of Nova Scotia refuse to grant the municipality a loan which in turn caused the council to end cash relief and return to vouchers. In December 1935, Williams was elected reeve of East York.
However, Williams was more than three months in arrears in his rent and had to defend his right to take office as the provincial government had passed a law prohibiting anyone owing more than three months rent from holding office. A new election was scheduled but as no other candidates ran, Williams was acclaimed. The Workers Association under Williams also organized to block bailiffs from evicting families from their homes. The blocking of evictions had the support of many residents and Township officials, no matter their political views. Williams lost the reeve’s office when he ran for re-election in the December 1936 election but the Township's council continued to support the policy of blocking evictions and set a licencing fee for bailiffs and then refused to issue licences for two months giving families threatened with eviction a reprieve.
According to a local historian, "If a member of the Workers Association caught wind of an eviction about to take place,they would telephone other members and yell to their neighbours on the street “eviction.” Members would race by foot or by automobile if one were available to the house where the eviction was to take place. As the bailiff would remove the family’s furniture from the house, members of the Association would politely carry the furniture back into the house."
At the 1936 convention of the Ontario CCF, Williams filibustered against a resolution opposing a united front
United front
The united front is a form of struggle that may be pursued by revolutionaries. The basic theory of the united front tactic was first developed by the Comintern, an international communist organisation created by revolutionaries in the wake of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.According to the theses of...
between the CCF 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...
and was threatened with expulsion from the CCF for his behaviour.
Williams ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1943 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1943
The Ontario general election of 1943 was held on August 4, 1943, to elect the 90 Members of the 21st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
and was elected from the riding of Ontario which covered Durham County
Durham, Ontario
Durham is a community in the municipality of West Grey, Grey County, Ontario, Canada. Durham is located near the base of the Bruce Peninsula.-Location:...
and sat as an Ontario CCF Member of Provincial Parliament for two years until he and most of the CCF's MPPs went down to defeat in the 1945 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1945
The Ontario general election of 1945 was held on June 4, 1945, to elect the 90 members of the 22nd Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
.
In 1948, he ran in a federal by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in the riding of Ontario
Ontario (electoral district)
Ontario was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1924 from Ontario South riding....
which occurred following the death of Liberal MP W.E.N. Sinclair and won. He served for a year until he was defeated in the 1949 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
when he came in third place.
Williams was active with the Canadian Congress of Labour
Canadian Congress of Labour
The Canadian Congress of Labour was founded in 1940 and merged with Trades and Labour Congress of Canada to form the Canadian Labour Congress in 1956.-Founding:...
and spoke at its 1943 federal convention in support of a successful resolution for the union federation to endorse the CCF as the "political arm of labour".