Canadian Labour Party
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Labour Party was an early, unsuccessful attempt at creating a national labour party in Canada
. Although it ran candidates in the federal elections of 1917
, 1921
, 1925
and 1926
, it never succeeded in its goal of providing a national forum for the Canadian labour movement. In most provinces, the CLP ceased to exist after 1928-29.
(TLC). It was intended to be the Canadian equivalent of the British Labour Party, and endorsed a variety of reformist labour initiatives. In this sense, it was ideologically closer to A.W. Puttee's original Winnipeg Labour Party
than to the revolutionary Socialist Party of Canada
.
The CLP endorsed a number of candidates in the 1917 election, although none were elected. In 1918, the Canadian TLC leaders adopted a "non-partisan" policy advocated by the American Federation of Labor
, and the CLP was largely abandoned.
The party was revived in 1921 by James Simpson
. It again espoused a reformist platform, including the nationalization of banks and public utilities, major extensions in social and labour legislation, and lower taxes on the working-class.
The CLP was intended to be an "umbrella" organization for the various regional labour parties within Canada. Its primary failure on this front was its inability to convince the leaders of Manitoba
's Independent Labour Party
to affiliate. Initially, this was due to a local split in the Winnipeg labour movement -- the regional Dominion Labour Party
had been taken over by rightist elements, and the parliamentary labour caucus had retaliated by creating a separate ILP organization. When the DLP affiliated with the CLP, the ILP refused to do the same. ILP leaders such as J.S. Woodsworth and Abraham Albert Heaps
remained outside the CLP network throughout the 1920s.
In other regions, the CLP was more successful. The Alberta
DLP did not fall into the hands of rightist labourites, and there was no controversy when this party became part of the CLP. The Federated Labour Party of British Columbia
also joined the CLP, and many other reformist labour organizations throughout the country had some connections to the larger organization.
In spite of this, the CLP never became a coherent national party. Most provincial labour parties remained focused on their own local concerns, and the national party organization was comparatively weak (though it was usually successful in preventing vote-splitting among its affiliated groups). The national CLP was also weakened by controversies concerning the role of Communists within the party.
supported a united front against the capitalist class. Its provincial organizations joined the CLP in various stages between 1922 and 1924, and the leaders of the Communist Party believed that they would eventually be able to shift CLP policy to reflect their own policies. By the late 1920s, Communist groups had come to dominate the CLP in some regions of the country. (It may be noted that the Communist Party seems to have accepted the CLP's ban on electoral competition between affiliated groups, even to the point of endorsing some rightist labour candidates in whom they had little confidence.)
The Communist presence did not always provoke internal dissension (several Communist delegates were greeted with cheers at CLP conventions), but it did prevent some moderate social democrats from joining. In 1927, social democrats in the Ontario CLP withdrew from the organization to create their own Independent Labour Party. In the same year, J.S. Woodsworth accused the CLP of being controlled by Communist interests, and called for a new national alliance of Independent Labour Parties to take its place.
The CLP's alliance with the Communist Party ended in 1928-29, following a shift in Comintern policy away from the "united front" strategy. The provincial Communist parties either left the CLP during this period, or were expelled.
(CCF) in 1935. It maintained a semi-autonomous existence until 1942 when it formally merged with the Alberta CCF.
Judged by its own goals and ambitions, the CLP was a failure. It never succeeded in electing a candidate to the Canadian House of Commons
, and was unable to provide a coherent framework for the various labour organizations throughout the country. The party may, however, be regarded as a prototype for later pan-Canadian labour parties such as the CCF and the New Democratic Party
.
Also of note is the fact that the CLP maintained a formal alliance with labour organizations throughout its existence, like the later NDP organization (but unlike the CCF).
See Labour candidates and parties in Canada#In Alberta for a list of Alberta Labour representatives in the Alberta legislature
.
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...
. Although it ran candidates in the federal elections of 1917
Canadian federal election, 1917
The 1917 Canadian federal election was held on December 17, 1917, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Canada. Described by historian Michael Bliss as the "most bitter election in Canadian history", it was fought mainly over the issue of conscription...
, 1921
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...
, 1925
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...
and 1926
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...
, it never succeeded in its goal of providing a national forum for the Canadian labour movement. In most provinces, the CLP ceased to exist after 1928-29.
History
The CLP was founded in 1917, on the initiative of the Trades and Labour Congress of CanadaTrades and Labour Congress of Canada
The Trades and Labour Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1883 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor...
(TLC). It was intended to be the Canadian equivalent of the British Labour Party, and endorsed a variety of reformist labour initiatives. In this sense, it was ideologically closer to A.W. Puttee's original Winnipeg Labour Party
Winnipeg Labour Party
The Winnipeg Labour Party was a reformist organization in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, representing labour interests. Founded in 1896, it was based on an earlier Winnipeg organization known as the Independent Labour Party .The party initially received support from both...
than to the revolutionary Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada
There have been two different but related political parties in Canada that called themselves the Socialist Party of Canada . The current Socialist Party is an electorally inactive and unregistered federal political party in Canada...
.
The CLP endorsed a number of candidates in the 1917 election, although none were elected. In 1918, the Canadian TLC leaders adopted a "non-partisan" policy advocated by the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
, and the CLP was largely abandoned.
The party was revived in 1921 by James Simpson
James Simpson (politician)
James "Jimmy" Simpson was a Canadian trade unionist, printer, journalist and left wing politician in Toronto, Ontario...
. It again espoused a reformist platform, including the nationalization of banks and public utilities, major extensions in social and labour legislation, and lower taxes on the working-class.
The CLP was intended to be an "umbrella" organization for the various regional labour parties within Canada. Its primary failure on this front was its inability to convince the leaders of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
's Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party (in Manitoba) (II)
Prior to 1920, there were a number of groups in Winnipeg which called themselves the "Independent Labour Party". For information on these groups, see Independent Labour Party ....
to affiliate. Initially, this was due to a local split in the Winnipeg labour movement -- the regional Dominion Labour Party
Dominion Labour Party (in Manitoba)
The Dominion Labour Party was a reformist labour party, formed in Canada in 1918. The party enjoyed itsgreatest success in the province of Manitoba....
had been taken over by rightist elements, and the parliamentary labour caucus had retaliated by creating a separate ILP organization. When the DLP affiliated with the CLP, the ILP refused to do the same. ILP leaders such as J.S. Woodsworth and Abraham Albert Heaps
Abraham Albert Heaps
Abraham Albert Heaps was a Canadian politician and labour leader.Born in Leeds, England, Heaps immigrated to Canada in 1911 and worked in Winnipeg as an upholsterer. He was one of the leaders of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and was a Labor alderman on the Winnipeg City Council from 1917...
remained outside the CLP network throughout the 1920s.
In other regions, the CLP was more successful. The Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
DLP did not fall into the hands of rightist labourites, and there was no controversy when this party became part of the CLP. The Federated Labour Party of 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...
also joined the CLP, and many other reformist labour organizations throughout the country had some connections to the larger organization.
In spite of this, the CLP never became a coherent national party. Most provincial labour parties remained focused on their own local concerns, and the national party organization was comparatively weak (though it was usually successful in preventing vote-splitting among its affiliated groups). The national CLP was also weakened by controversies concerning the role of Communists within the party.
Relationship with Communists
In its earliest years, the Communist Party of CanadaCommunist 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...
supported a united front against the capitalist class. Its provincial organizations joined the CLP in various stages between 1922 and 1924, and the leaders of the Communist Party believed that they would eventually be able to shift CLP policy to reflect their own policies. By the late 1920s, Communist groups had come to dominate the CLP in some regions of the country. (It may be noted that the Communist Party seems to have accepted the CLP's ban on electoral competition between affiliated groups, even to the point of endorsing some rightist labour candidates in whom they had little confidence.)
The Communist presence did not always provoke internal dissension (several Communist delegates were greeted with cheers at CLP conventions), but it did prevent some moderate social democrats from joining. In 1927, social democrats in the Ontario CLP withdrew from the organization to create their own Independent Labour Party. In the same year, J.S. Woodsworth accused the CLP of being controlled by Communist interests, and called for a new national alliance of Independent Labour Parties to take its place.
The CLP's alliance with the Communist Party ended in 1928-29, following a shift in Comintern policy away from the "united front" strategy. The provincial Communist parties either left the CLP during this period, or were expelled.
Alberta
In most parts of the country, the resulting loss in membership was enough to bring about the effective demise of the CLP. The one exception to this rule appears to have been in Alberta, where the local CLP survived long enough to federate with the Co-operative Commonwealth FederationCo-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 1935. It maintained a semi-autonomous existence until 1942 when it formally merged with the Alberta CCF.
Judged by its own goals and ambitions, the CLP was a failure. It never succeeded in electing a candidate to 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...
, and was unable to provide a coherent framework for the various labour organizations throughout the country. The party may, however, be regarded as a prototype for later pan-Canadian labour parties such as the CCF and 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...
.
Also of note is the fact that the CLP maintained a formal alliance with labour organizations throughout its existence, like the later NDP organization (but unlike the CCF).
See Labour candidates and parties in Canada#In Alberta for a list of Alberta Labour representatives in the Alberta legislature
See also
For a history of the CLP in relation to other early Canadian labour parties, see Labour candidates and parties in CanadaLabour candidates and parties in Canada
There have been various groups in Canada that have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s...
.