Martin Hattersley
Encyclopedia
J. Martin Hattersley is an Edmonton lawyer and a long-time activist in the Canadian social credit movement
. Born in Swinton
, near Rotherham
, Yorkshire
, England
, Hattersley earned degrees in economics and law from Cambridge University before moving to Alberta
in 1956 where he worked as a lawyer
. His parents met at a social credit
conference in Britain.
From 1962 to 1964, he was director of research of the Social Credit Association of Canada, and personal secretary and speechwriter to Social Credit Party of Canada
leader Robert N. Thompson
, MP
.
Hattersley served as national president of the party in the mid-1970s and ran for the party's leadership
following the death of Réal Caouette
in 1976, placing third. He ran again in 1978 when he was defeated by Lorne Reznowski
at the party's national leadership convention
by a margin of 356 votes to 115. Hattersley had campaigned on a platform of broadening the party's base and appealing to a wider spectrum of voters but was unable to overcome Reznowski's more doctrinaire approach advocating social credit
monetary theory.
After the party's remaining five Members of Parliament were defeated in the 1980 general election
, he became leader of the party from 1981 to 1983. He resigned after the party voted to reinstatate Jim Keegstra and two others after Hattersley suspended their memberships and tried to expel them because of their anti-Semitic
activism, saying "I simply cannot be leader of a party that has people accepted into its ranks that publicly express views of that sort." Hattersley later claimed that Social Credit's association with "that sort of approach . . . prevents other people from taking it seriously."
He was also interim leader of the Social Credit Party of Alberta
from 1985 to 1988, in the wake of the party's loss of its only remaining seats in the Alberta legislature and has been president emeritus
since then. As leader he led an attempt to merge several Alberta parties into the Alberta Political Alliance
, which proved to be a short-lived coalition of Social Credit, the Western Canada Concept
and the Heritage Party, in 1986 but neither the Alliance nor Social Credit were prepared to run candidates in the 1986 Alberta election
.
In August 1988, the body of Hattersley's 29-year old daughter, Cathy Greeve, was found in the bathroom at an Edmonton Transit station. She had been robbed and strangled to death. Ronald Nienhuis, on day parole while serving time for armed robbery, was charged and convicted of the crime.
Since his daughter's murder, Hattersley has been involved in an Edmonton victim's support group
and has spoken in prisons on alternatives to violence. He has spoken out in favour of prisoners' right to vote, telling the Edmonton Journal
that "[b]eing allowed to vote means you are being treated as a human being and a citizen and that's good from a psychological point of view."
Canadian social credit movement
The Canadian social credit movement was a Canadian political movement originally based on the Social Credit theory of Major C. H. Douglas. Its supporters were colloquially known as Socreds...
. Born in Swinton
Swinton, South Yorkshire
Swinton is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England on part of the west bank of the River Don...
, near Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Hattersley earned degrees in economics and law from Cambridge University before moving to 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...
in 1956 where he worked as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. His parents met at a social credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
conference in Britain.
From 1962 to 1964, he was director of research of the Social Credit Association of Canada, and personal secretary and speechwriter to 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...
leader Robert N. Thompson
Robert N. Thompson
Robert Norman Thompson was a Canadian politician, chiropractor, and educator. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota, to Canadian parents and moved to Canada in 1918 with his family...
, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Hattersley served as national president of the party in the mid-1970s and ran for the party's leadership
Social Credit Party of Canada leadership conventions
The Canadian social credit movement first contested the 1935 federal election in order to capitalize from the Alberta Social Credit League's surprise victory in Alberta's August 1935 provincial election...
following the death of Réal Caouette
Réal Caouette
David Réal Caouette was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a Member of Parliament and leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada and founder of the Ralliement des créditistes...
in 1976, placing third. He ran again in 1978 when he was defeated by Lorne Reznowski
Lorne Reznowski
Lorne Reznowski was a professor of English at the University of Manitoba and leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada.A one-time national secretary of the Social Credit Party, Reznowski once worked for former Socred leader Robert N...
at the party's national leadership convention
Leadership convention
In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader.- Overview :...
by a margin of 356 votes to 115. Hattersley had campaigned on a platform of broadening the party's base and appealing to a wider spectrum of voters but was unable to overcome Reznowski's more doctrinaire approach advocating social credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
monetary theory.
After the party's remaining five Members of Parliament were defeated in the 1980 general election
Canadian federal election, 1980
The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
, he became leader of the party from 1981 to 1983. He resigned after the party voted to reinstatate Jim Keegstra and two others after Hattersley suspended their memberships and tried to expel them because of their anti-Semitic
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
activism, saying "I simply cannot be leader of a party that has people accepted into its ranks that publicly express views of that sort." Hattersley later claimed that Social Credit's association with "that sort of approach . . . prevents other people from taking it seriously."
He was also interim leader of the Social Credit Party of Alberta
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
from 1985 to 1988, in the wake of the party's loss of its only remaining seats in the Alberta legislature and has been president emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
since then. As leader he led an attempt to merge several Alberta parties into the Alberta Political Alliance
Alberta Party
The Alberta Party Political Association, more commonly known as the Alberta Party, is a political party in the province of Alberta, Canada...
, which proved to be a short-lived coalition of Social Credit, the Western Canada Concept
Western Canada Concept
The Western Canada Concept was a Western Canadian political party founded in 1980 to promote the separation of the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and the Yukon and Northwest Territories from Canada in order to create a new nation.The party argued that Western...
and the Heritage Party, in 1986 but neither the Alliance nor Social Credit were prepared to run candidates in the 1986 Alberta election
Alberta general election, 1986
The Alberta general election of 1986 was the twenty-first general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 8, 1986 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
.
In August 1988, the body of Hattersley's 29-year old daughter, Cathy Greeve, was found in the bathroom at an Edmonton Transit station. She had been robbed and strangled to death. Ronald Nienhuis, on day parole while serving time for armed robbery, was charged and convicted of the crime.
Since his daughter's murder, Hattersley has been involved in an Edmonton victim's support group
Victims' Rights
-History:Victim movements in the U.S. grew in the 1970s. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan's Task Force on Victims of Crime released its Final Report. The report drew attention to the re-victimization of crime victims within the criminal justice system...
and has spoken in prisons on alternatives to violence. He has spoken out in favour of prisoners' right to vote, telling the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
that "[b]eing allowed to vote means you are being treated as a human being and a citizen and that's good from a psychological point of view."