Fascism in Canada
Encyclopedia
Fascism in Canada consisted of a variety of movements and political parties in Canada
during the twentieth century. Largely a fringe ideology, fascism
has never commanded a large following amongst the Canadian people, and was most popular during the Great Depression
. Most Canadian fascist leaders were interned at the outbreak of World War II
under the Defence of Canada Regulations
and in the post-war period, fascism never recovered its former small influence.
The Canadian Union of Fascists
, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was modeled on Oswald Mosley
's British Union of Fascists
. Its leader was Chuck Crate
.
Parti national social chrétien was founded in Quebec in February 1934 by Adrien Arcand
. In October 1934, the party merged with the Canadian Nationalist Party, which was based in the prairie provinces. In June 1938, it merged with Nazi
groups from Ontario
and Quebec
(many of which were known as Swastika
clubs), to form the National Unity Party.
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...
during the twentieth century. Largely a fringe ideology, fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
has never commanded a large following amongst the Canadian people, and was most popular during the Great Depression
Great Depression in Canada
Canada was hit hard by the Great Depression. Between 1929 and 1939, the gross national product dropped 40% . Unemployment reached 27% at the depth of the Depression in 1933...
. Most Canadian fascist leaders were interned at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
under the Defence of Canada Regulations
Defence of Canada Regulations
The Defence of Canada Regulations were a set of emergency measures implemented under the War Measures Act a week before Canada's entry into World War II in the fall of 1939....
and in the post-war period, fascism never recovered its former small influence.
The Canadian Union of Fascists
Canadian Union of Fascists
The Canadian Fascist Party was a fascist political party based in the Canadian city of Winnipeg. The formative core of the party was a splinter group from the Canadian Nationalist Party that found the principles of corporativism to be more important than the largely racial motivations of the...
, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was modeled on Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
's British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
. Its leader was Chuck Crate
Chuck Crate
Chales Brandle "Chuck" Crate was a Canadian fascist and leader of the Canadian Union of Fascists.He was born and grew up in northern Ontario, moving into a working class district of Toronto in 1927. The poverty and unemployment brought by the Great Depression turned the young Crate into a radical,...
.
Parti national social chrétien was founded in Quebec in February 1934 by Adrien Arcand
Adrien Arcand
Adrien Arcand was a Montreal journalist who led a series of fascist political movements between 1929 and his death in 1967...
. In October 1934, the party merged with the Canadian Nationalist Party, which was based in the prairie provinces. In June 1938, it merged with Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
groups from 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....
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(many of which were known as Swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
clubs), to form the National Unity Party.
See also
- Christie Pits riot
- John Ross TaylorJohn Ross TaylorJohn Ross Taylor was a Canadian fascist political activist and party leader prominent in white nationalist circles....
- Ernst ZundelErnst ZündelErnst Christof Friedrich Zündel is a German Holocaust denier and pamphleteer who was jailed several times in Canada for publishing literature which "is likely to incite hatred against an identifiable group" and for being a threat to national security, in the United States for overstaying his visa,...
External links
- Fascism article from the Canadian Encyclopedia