Liberal-Progressive
Encyclopedia
Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian
elections between 1926 and 1953. In federal and Ontario
politics, there was no formal Liberal-Progressive party, but it was an alliance between two separate parties. In Manitoba
, a party did exist with this name.
's 1921 electoral breakthrough
, Canadian federal politics operated under a "three party system" for the first time. The Liberal Party of Canada
under William Lyon Mackenzie King
tried to deal with this situation by co-opting the Progressives, offering to form a coalition
with them. The Progressive Party itself refused. But by 1926, the party had split and some Progressives decided to support the Liberals, running as Liberal Progressive or Liberal-Labour-Progressive
candidates or similar variations. This phenomenon occurred particularly in the 1925 election
and the 1926 election
. A number of Liberal Progressive Members of Parliament became full fledged Liberals in the 1930s.
In the 1925 election, only one candidate ran under the Liberal Progressive banner. He was unsuccessful.
In the 1926 election, a total of 11 candidates ran as Liberal Progressive: eight in Manitoba
(the entire Progressive contingent who had decided to nominate joint candidates with the Liberals), all of whom were elected, and three unsuccessful candidates in Ontario
. A ninth Manitoba Liberal-Progressive, Robert Forke
who was the group's leader, was acclaimed in a by-election later in the year and was appointed to the Cabinet. These candidates were not opposed by the Liberal Party in the election and ran with the understanding that they would sit with and support the Liberals in the Parliament and attend Liberal caucus
meetings. Mackenzie King's Liberals alone did not have a majority of seats in the House of Commons
after the 1926 election, but were able to form a minority government
(that was for all intents and purposes a majority government
) with the support of the Liberal-Progressives in the house. This government lasted for four years. The Liberal-Progressives also had their own caucus meetings (in addition to attending Liberal meetings) and developed their own politics on certain issues, particularly in relation to agriculture. For example, they were critical of the 1927 federal budget for not reducing tariff
s, a long time Progressive demand.
In the 1930 election
, eight Liberal Progressives ran in Manitoba, but only two were elected. One defeated candidate lost to a candidate running as a Liberal.
In the 1935 election
, five Liberal Progressives ran in Manitoba, four of whom were elected. One of these was victorious over a Liberal candidate, while the defeated Liberal Progressive was defeated by a Liberal.
In the 1940 election
, two Liberal Progressives ran in Manitoba, of whom one was elected. Two Liberal Progressives ran in Ontario. Both of these were elected.
William Gilbert Weir
was the longest lasting Liberal Progressive MP, winning his first election in the riding of Macdonald in Manitoba in 1930. He was re-elected as a Liberal Progressive in 1935 and 1940. In 1945, 1949 and 1953, he was elected as a Liberal Progressive for the riding of Portage-Neepawa, and was the sole candidate to run as under the Liberal Progressive label in those elections. Weir served as Chief Government Whip from 1945 to 1953 and parliamentary assistant to Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent
from 1953 to 1957. He was defeated in the 1957 election
, the first in which he ran as a Liberal.
Five MPs in all sat as Liberal-Progressives: Edgar Douglas Richmond Bissett
, Robert Forke
, James Allison Glen
, George William McDonald
and William Gilbert Weir
. Forke and Glen both ultimately became ministers in Liberal cabinets (Glen also served as Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
) while Weir served as government whip for a number of years.
Forke was elevated to the Canadian Senate
in 1929 and was the sole Liberal-Progressive to ever sit in that body.
. Mr A.D. Campbell achieved 252 votes, in the Camrose
district coming in fourth place.
under Mitchell Hepburn
, and the Progressive bloc of Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs) under Harry Nixon
. Nixon had originally been elected with the United Farmers of Ontario
. In this coalition, the Progressive group ran as Liberal-Progressives. They were eventually absorbed into the Ontario Liberal Party. Even before 1934, several candidates ran and were elected under the Liberal-Progressive banner (Frederick Sandy of Victoria South
was first elected as a UFO MLA in 1919, was defeated in 1923 and returned to serve as a Liberal-Progressive from 1926-1929; Merton Elvin Scott of Oxford South
served as a Liberal-Progressive MLA from 1926 to 1929 and UFO MLA David Munroe Ross of Oxford North
was re-elected as a Liberal-Progressive in 1926 and 1929), however it was only in the 1934 election
that a formal alliance between the Progressives and Liberals began, returning four Liberal-Progressive MLAs (Nixon, Douglas Campbell of Kent East, Roland Patterson of Grey North
and James Francis Kelly of Muskoka). Liberal-Progressive leader Harry Nixon was provincial secretary
in Liberal Premier Mitchell Hepburn
's cabinet from its inception. He and Kelly ran for re-election as straight Liberals in the 1937 provincial election
and were re-elected. Two remaining Liberal-Progressive MLAs were returned in that election, Campbell and Patterson. Campbell was not returned in the 1943 election
while Patterson was re-elected as a straight Liberal.
, the Progressives
and Liberals
merged in 1932 under Premier
John Bracken
and ran as Liberal-Progressives. Bracken continued as Premier
until 1943, when he was replaced by Stuart Garson
. In 1948, Garson was replaced by Douglas Campbell
.
Although the party was dominated by its "Progressive" wing, it had become popularly known as the Liberal Party by the 1940s. (The national Progressive Party
had vanished by this time.) It formally changed its name to the Manitoba Liberal Party
in 1961, against only scattered objections from diehard Progressives.
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...
elections between 1926 and 1953. In federal and 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....
politics, there was no formal Liberal-Progressive party, but it was an alliance between two separate parties. In 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...
, a party did exist with this name.
Federal politics
With the Progressive Party of CanadaProgressive Party of Canada
The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manitoba...
's 1921 electoral breakthrough
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...
, Canadian federal politics operated under a "three party system" for the first time. The Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
under William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
tried to deal with this situation by co-opting the Progressives, offering to form a coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
with them. The Progressive Party itself refused. But by 1926, the party had split and some Progressives decided to support the Liberals, running as Liberal Progressive or Liberal-Labour-Progressive
Liberal-Labour (Canada)
The Liberal-Labour banner has also been used several times by candidates in Canadian elections:In the early twentieth century when the idea of trade unionists running for elected office under their own banner gained ground, several working class candidates on the provincial or federal level were...
candidates or similar variations. This phenomenon occurred particularly in the 1925 election
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 the 1926 election
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...
. A number of Liberal Progressive Members of Parliament became full fledged Liberals in the 1930s.
In the 1925 election, only one candidate ran under the Liberal Progressive banner. He was unsuccessful.
In the 1926 election, a total of 11 candidates ran as Liberal Progressive: eight in 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...
(the entire Progressive contingent who had decided to nominate joint candidates with the Liberals), all of whom were elected, and three unsuccessful candidates in 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....
. A ninth Manitoba Liberal-Progressive, Robert Forke
Robert Forke
Robert Forke, PC was a Canadian politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Brandon in 1921. In 1922, he replaced Thomas Crerar as leader of the Progressive Party of Canada...
who was the group's leader, was acclaimed in a by-election later in the year and was appointed to the Cabinet. These candidates were not opposed by the Liberal Party in the election and ran with the understanding that they would sit with and support the Liberals in the Parliament and attend Liberal caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
meetings. Mackenzie King's Liberals alone did not have a majority of seats in the 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...
after the 1926 election, but were able to form a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
(that was for all intents and purposes a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
) with the support of the Liberal-Progressives in the house. This government lasted for four years. The Liberal-Progressives also had their own caucus meetings (in addition to attending Liberal meetings) and developed their own politics on certain issues, particularly in relation to agriculture. For example, they were critical of the 1927 federal budget for not reducing tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s, a long time Progressive demand.
In the 1930 election
Canadian federal election, 1930
The Canadian federal election of 1930 was held on July 28, 1930 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Canada...
, eight Liberal Progressives ran in Manitoba, but only two were elected. One defeated candidate lost to a candidate running as a Liberal.
In the 1935 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...
, five Liberal Progressives ran in Manitoba, four of whom were elected. One of these was victorious over a Liberal candidate, while the defeated Liberal Progressive was defeated by a Liberal.
In the 1940 election
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
, two Liberal Progressives ran in Manitoba, of whom one was elected. Two Liberal Progressives ran in Ontario. Both of these were elected.
William Gilbert Weir
William Gilbert Weir
William Gilbert Weir was a Canadian politician and was the longest serving Liberal-Progressive Member of Parliament in Canadian history sitting in the Canadian House of Commons for 27 years....
was the longest lasting Liberal Progressive MP, winning his first election in the riding of Macdonald in Manitoba in 1930. He was re-elected as a Liberal Progressive in 1935 and 1940. In 1945, 1949 and 1953, he was elected as a Liberal Progressive for the riding of Portage-Neepawa, and was the sole candidate to run as under the Liberal Progressive label in those elections. Weir served as Chief Government Whip from 1945 to 1953 and parliamentary assistant to Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent
Louis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
from 1953 to 1957. He was defeated in the 1957 election
Canadian federal election, 1957
The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party , led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the...
, the first in which he ran as a Liberal.
Five MPs in all sat as Liberal-Progressives: Edgar Douglas Richmond Bissett
Edgar Douglas Richmond Bissett
Edgar Douglas Richmond Bissett was a Liberal-Progressive Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons....
, Robert Forke
Robert Forke
Robert Forke, PC was a Canadian politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Brandon in 1921. In 1922, he replaced Thomas Crerar as leader of the Progressive Party of Canada...
, James Allison Glen
James Allison Glen
James Allison Glen, PC was a Canadian parliamentarian and Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons from 1940 to 1945....
, George William McDonald
George William McDonald
George William McDonald was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922 as a member of the Manitoba Liberal Party, and later sat in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1940 as a Liberal-Progressive.McDonald was born in Lucknow,...
and William Gilbert Weir
William Gilbert Weir
William Gilbert Weir was a Canadian politician and was the longest serving Liberal-Progressive Member of Parliament in Canadian history sitting in the Canadian House of Commons for 27 years....
. Forke and Glen both ultimately became ministers in Liberal cabinets (Glen also served as Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
) while Weir served as government whip for a number of years.
Forke was elevated to the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
in 1929 and was the sole Liberal-Progressive to ever sit in that body.
Alberta
In Alberta, one candidate ran under the Liberal Progressive banner during the 1926 Alberta general electionAlberta general election, 1926
The Alberta general election of 1926 was the sixth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 28, 1926 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The writs of election were issued on May 10, 1926 allowing for an election period of 40 days.After Herbert...
. Mr A.D. Campbell achieved 252 votes, in the Camrose
Camrose (provincial electoral district)
-1944 general election:-1957 liquor plebiscite:On October 30, 1957 a stand alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta. The government decided to consult Alberta voters to decide on liquor sales and mixed drinking after a divisive...
district coming in fourth place.
Ontario
In Ontario, an electoral coalition was formed in 1934 between the provincial LiberalsOntario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
under Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Frederick Hepburn was the 11th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest Premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37....
, and the Progressive bloc of Members of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLAs) under Harry Nixon
Harry Nixon
Harry Corwin Nixon was a Canadian politician and briefly the 13th Premier of Ontario.He was born on a farm near St...
. Nixon had originally been elected with the United Farmers of Ontario
United Farmers of Ontario
The United Farmers of Ontario was a political party in Ontario, Canada. It was the Ontario provincial branch of the United Farmers movement of the early part of the 20th century.- Foundation and rise :...
. In this coalition, the Progressive group ran as Liberal-Progressives. They were eventually absorbed into the Ontario Liberal Party. Even before 1934, several candidates ran and were elected under the Liberal-Progressive banner (Frederick Sandy of Victoria South
Victoria South
Victoria South was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Victoria divided into two ridings, the South and North...
was first elected as a UFO MLA in 1919, was defeated in 1923 and returned to serve as a Liberal-Progressive from 1926-1929; Merton Elvin Scott of Oxford South
Oxford South
Oxford South was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario...
served as a Liberal-Progressive MLA from 1926 to 1929 and UFO MLA David Munroe Ross of Oxford North
Oxford North
Oxford North was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario...
was re-elected as a Liberal-Progressive in 1926 and 1929), however it was only in the 1934 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 ....
that a formal alliance between the Progressives and Liberals began, returning four Liberal-Progressive MLAs (Nixon, Douglas Campbell of Kent East, Roland Patterson of Grey North
Grey North
Grey North was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Grey into two ridings: Grey South and Grey North...
and James Francis Kelly of Muskoka). Liberal-Progressive leader Harry Nixon was provincial secretary
Provincial Secretary
The Provincial Secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867...
in Liberal Premier Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Frederick Hepburn was the 11th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest Premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37....
's cabinet from its inception. He and Kelly ran for re-election as straight Liberals in the 1937 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1937
The Ontario general election, 1937 was held on October 6, 1937, to elect the 90 Members of the 20th Legislative Assembly of Ontario . It was the 20th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada....
and were re-elected. Two remaining Liberal-Progressive MLAs were returned in that election, Campbell and Patterson. Campbell was not returned in the 1943 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....
while Patterson was re-elected as a straight Liberal.
Manitoba
In ManitobaManitoba
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...
, the Progressives
Progressive Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
and Liberals
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
merged in 1932 under Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
and ran as Liberal-Progressives. Bracken continued as Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
until 1943, when he was replaced by Stuart Garson
Stuart Garson
Stuart Sinclair Garson, was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Premier of Manitoba from 1943 to 1948, and later became a federal cabinet minister....
. In 1948, Garson was replaced by Douglas Campbell
Douglas Lloyd Campbell
Douglas Lloyd Campbell, OC was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as the 13th Premier of Manitoba from 1948 to 1958...
.
Although the party was dominated by its "Progressive" wing, it had become popularly known as the Liberal Party by the 1940s. (The national Progressive Party
Progressive Party of Canada
The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manitoba...
had vanished by this time.) It formally changed its name to the Manitoba Liberal Party
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
in 1961, against only scattered objections from diehard Progressives.