John Ross Taylor
Encyclopedia
John Ross Taylor was a Canadian
fascist political activist and party leader prominent in white nationalist circles.
Born into a well-known Toronto
family, the son of a lawyer and grandson of a Toronto alderman
, Taylor's fascist activities began in the 1920s. In the 1930s he joined with the Quebec-based fascist leader Adrien Arcand
in creating a national fascist party, the National Unity Party
. Taylor played a key role in organizing the putative party in English Canada before he broke with Arcand and joined the Canadian Union of Fascists
becoming its secretary and organizer.
Taylor was interned as a sympathiser with National Socialist Germany
during World War II
.
During the 1960s, Taylor acted as the Canadian representative of the anti-Semitic National States' Rights Party
and was based at his farm at Gooderham, north of Peterborough, Ontario, where he held fascist meetings and published virulent anti-Semitic and racist literature that led Canada Post to revoke his mailing privileges. He also led his own movement with David Stanley which he called "Natural Order". In 1965, he was featured on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's public affairs program This Hour Has Seven Days
. During his interview with CBC journalist Larry Zolf
, Taylor called for Jews to be exiled to Madagascar
.
In the 1963 Ontario election
, he ran in St. Andrew
riding for the "Social Credit Action", a splinter group from the Social Credit Party of Ontario
. However, when his political past was reported, the Social Credit Action group dumped Taylor and he ran instead as a candidate of the "Natural Order of Social Credit Organization". He won 102 votes, or about 1% of the total cast. He ran for Toronto City Council
in the 1972 municipal election
placing last in Ward 11.
In the 1974 federal election
, he was an independent candidate for the Canadian House of Commons
in the riding
of Davenport
and described himself during an all candidates meeting as "a racist and a fascist". He received 102 votes (0.69% of the popular vote), placing fourth in a field of six candidates. From 1970 to 1977, Taylor was again involved with the Social Credit Association of Ontario as a result of a takeover of the party by Paul Fromm and the Western Guard
. In 1972, the Social Credit Party of Canada
declared membership in the Western Guard "incompatible" with membership in Social Credit had the provincial association put into trusteeship and Taylor, Fromm and their supporters were expelled though Taylor continued to lead a splinter group that claimed to be the Social Credit party until 1977. Because of the dispute he had to run as an Independent in the 1974 federal election.
In 1976, he became leader of the white power Western Guard Party
. He also established ties to the Ku Klux Klan
and attended the International Patriotic Conference held by David Duke
that year. In the 1980s, Taylor was twice found in contempt of court
for refusing to comply with a 1979 order by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
to end his recorded "White Power" messages on the Western Guard Party's phone line. He was imprisoned from October 1981 to March 1982, and again later in the decade for violating the Canadian Human Rights Act
. In 1990, the Supreme Court of Canada
upheld the ruling against Taylor.
Taylor was a fixture during the 1989 trial of accused Nazi war criminal Imre Finta
and could be seen carrying lawyer Douglas Christie's books. He was also an associate of Ernst Zundel
and Jim Keegstra.
In the last years of his life, Taylor was active in the Aryan Nations
after he moved to Calgary
following his release from prison. In 1993, using the pseudonym "His Excellency J. J. Wills", he co-wrote a book with Robert O'Driscoll titled The New World Order in North America which Bernie Farber
described as "the anti-Semitic ravings of a very confused mind."
He appears in the 1991 documentary film Blood in the Face, directed by Kevin Rafferty
, which looks at the American neo-fascist movement. The name of the film is taken from his claim that white people are superior to non-whites because they show "blood in the face" and blush
when they are ashamed.
He died in a Calgary boarding house in 1994.
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...
fascist political activist and party leader prominent in white nationalist circles.
Born into a well-known 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...
family, the son of a lawyer and grandson of a Toronto alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
, Taylor's fascist activities began in the 1920s. In the 1930s he joined with the Quebec-based fascist leader 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 creating a national fascist party, the National Unity Party
Parti national social chrétien
The Parti National Social Chrétien was a Canadian political party formed by Adrien Arcand in February 1934. The party identified with anti-semitism, and German leader Adolf Hitler's Nazism. The party was later known, in English, as the Canadian National Socialist Unity Party or National Unity...
. Taylor played a key role in organizing the putative party in English Canada before he broke with Arcand and joined 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...
becoming its secretary and organizer.
Taylor was interned as a sympathiser with National Socialist Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during 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...
.
During the 1960s, Taylor acted as the Canadian representative of the anti-Semitic National States' Rights Party
National States' Rights Party
National States' Rights Party was a far right, white supremacist party that briefly played a minor role in the politics of the United States.-Foundation:...
and was based at his farm at Gooderham, north of Peterborough, Ontario, where he held fascist meetings and published virulent anti-Semitic and racist literature that led Canada Post to revoke his mailing privileges. He also led his own movement with David Stanley which he called "Natural Order". In 1965, he was featured on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's public affairs program This Hour Has Seven Days
This Hour Has Seven Days
This Hour Has Seven Days is a controversial CBC Television newsmagazine which ran from 1964 to 1966. The show, inspired by the BBC-TV and NBC-TV satire series That Was The Week That Was, was created by Patrick Watson and Douglas Leiterman as an avenue for a more stimulating and boundary-pushing...
. During his interview with CBC journalist Larry Zolf
Larry Zolf
Larry Zolf was a Canadian journalist and commentator.Zolf was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He earned a B.A. from the University of Winnipeg, and then received a Masters degree in Canadian history from the University of Toronto. In 1962, he joined the CBC...
, Taylor called for Jews to be exiled to Madagascar
Madagascar Plan
The Madagascar Plan was a suggested policy of the Nazi government of Germany to relocate the Jewish population of Europe to the island of Madagascar.-Origins:The evacuation of European Jews to the island of Madagascar was not a new concept...
.
In the 1963 Ontario election
Ontario general election, 1963
The Ontario general election of 1963 was held on September 25, 1963, to elect the 108 members of the 27th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, he ran in St. Andrew
St. Andrew (electoral district)
St. Andrew was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was established to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly and then Members of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario....
riding for the "Social Credit Action", a splinter group from the Social Credit Party of Ontario
Social Credit Party of Ontario
The Social Credit Party of Ontario was a minor political party at the provincial level in the Canadian province of Ontario from the 1940s to the early 1970s. The party never won any seats in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
. However, when his political past was reported, the Social Credit Action group dumped Taylor and he ran instead as a candidate of the "Natural Order of Social Credit Organization". He won 102 votes, or about 1% of the total cast. He ran for Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
in the 1972 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 1972
The 1972 Toronto municipal election was held December 4, 1972 to elect the governments of Toronto, the five other boroughs, and the government of Metro Toronto as well....
placing last in Ward 11.
In the 1974 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
, he was an independent candidate for 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...
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 Davenport
Davenport (electoral district)
Davenport is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935. Its population in 2001 was 111,705.-Geography:...
and described himself during an all candidates meeting as "a racist and a fascist". He received 102 votes (0.69% of the popular vote), placing fourth in a field of six candidates. From 1970 to 1977, Taylor was again involved with the Social Credit Association of Ontario as a result of a takeover of the party by Paul Fromm and the Western Guard
Western Guard Party
The Western Guard Party was a white supremacist group based in Toronto, Canada. It evolved out of the far-right anti-Communist Edmund Burke Society that had been founded in 1967 by Don Andrews, Paul Fromm, Leigh Smith and Al Overfield.Andrews became the dominant figure in the EBS, and relaunched...
. In 1972, the Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
declared membership in the Western Guard "incompatible" with membership in Social Credit had the provincial association put into trusteeship and Taylor, Fromm and their supporters were expelled though Taylor continued to lead a splinter group that claimed to be the Social Credit party until 1977. Because of the dispute he had to run as an Independent in the 1974 federal election.
In 1976, he became leader of the white power Western Guard Party
Western Guard Party
The Western Guard Party was a white supremacist group based in Toronto, Canada. It evolved out of the far-right anti-Communist Edmund Burke Society that had been founded in 1967 by Don Andrews, Paul Fromm, Leigh Smith and Al Overfield.Andrews became the dominant figure in the EBS, and relaunched...
. He also established ties to the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
and attended the International Patriotic Conference held by David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
that year. In the 1980s, Taylor was twice found in contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
for refusing to comply with a 1979 order by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is an administrative tribunal established in 1977 by the Canadian Human Rights Act. It is directly funded by the Parliament of Canada and is independent of the Canadian Human Rights Commission which refers cases to it for adjudication under the Act.The Tribunal...
to end his recorded "White Power" messages on the Western Guard Party's phone line. He was imprisoned from October 1981 to March 1982, and again later in the decade for violating the Canadian Human Rights Act
Canadian Human Rights Act
The Canadian Human Rights Act is a statute originally passed by the Parliament of Canada in 1977 with the express goal of extending the law to ensure equal opportunity to individuals who may be victims of discriminatory practices based on a set prohibited grounds such as gender, disability, or...
. In 1990, the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
upheld the ruling against Taylor.
Taylor was a fixture during the 1989 trial of accused Nazi war criminal Imre Finta
Imre Finta
Imre Finta was the first person prosecuted under Canada's war crimes legislation. He was charged in 1987 and acquitted in 1990.Imre Finta was a commander of the Gendarmerie in Szeged, Hungary during the Second World War. He immigrated to Canada in 1948 and settled in Toronto in 1953 where he...
and could be seen carrying lawyer Douglas Christie's books. He was also an associate of Ernst Zundel
Ernst Zündel
Ernst 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,...
and Jim Keegstra.
In the last years of his life, Taylor was active in the Aryan Nations
Aryan Nations
Aryan Nations is a white supremacist religious organization originally based in Hayden Lake, Idaho. Richard Girnt Butler founded the group in the 1970s, as an arm of the Christian Identity organization Church of Jesus Christ–Christian...
after he moved to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
following his release from prison. In 1993, using the pseudonym "His Excellency J. J. Wills", he co-wrote a book with Robert O'Driscoll titled The New World Order in North America which Bernie Farber
Bernie Farber
Bernie M. Farber is the former chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress and a social activist. He has testified before the Canadian courts as an expert witness on hate crime....
described as "the anti-Semitic ravings of a very confused mind."
He appears in the 1991 documentary film Blood in the Face, directed by Kevin Rafferty
Kevin Rafferty
Kevin Rafferty is an American documentary film cinematographer, director, and producer, best known for his 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe.-Background:...
, which looks at the American neo-fascist movement. The name of the film is taken from his claim that white people are superior to non-whites because they show "blood in the face" and blush
Blushing
Blushing refers to the involuntary reddening of a person's face due to embarrassment or emotional stress, though it has been known to come from being lovestruck, or from some kind of romantic stimulation. It is thought that blushing is the result of an overactive sympathetic nervous system...
when they are ashamed.
He died in a Calgary boarding house in 1994.
External links
- Summary of the 1979 hearing before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
- Canadian Human Rights Commission v. John Ross Taylor Summary of the case heard by the Supreme Court of CanadaSupreme Court of CanadaThe Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
. - 1965 This Hour Has Seven Days feature on hate, including an interview with Taylor
- Blood in the Face on Google video in which John Ross Taylor is interviewed.