Social Credit Party of Canada split, 1963
Encyclopedia
The split between Ralliement des créditistes, which was the Quebec wing of the Social Credit Party of Canada
, and the national organization had its roots in a long-standing dispute between the de facto leader of the Ralliement, Réal Caouette
, and the party’s national leader, Robert N. Thompson
. At the party’s 1960 leadership convention, Thompson defeated Caouette for the leadership, and named him deputy leader of the party. The relationship was strained, however, and the strain was exacerbated when the party lost most of its seats in English-speaking parts of Canada in the 1963 federal election
. Only Thompson and three others were elected outside of Quebec, while 20 Socreds were elected in Quebec. The two factions of the party were not re-united until October 1971.
, the 600 delegates voted to establish a new party. The vote was held after virtually no discussion by a show of hands. Approximately three-quarters of the delegates supported the motion to:
The convention also voted to appoint a ten-member committee to consider forming an affiliated party to contest provincial elections.
After the vote, 16 of the party’s 19 Quebec MPs met to consider approval of the motion. Ten of the MPs approved it immediately, while six deferred approval pending discussions with their constituents. Gerard Chapdelaine (Sherbrooke
), Henri Latulippe (Compton—Frontenac
) and Charles-Eugene Dionne (Kamouraska
) did not attend the meeting. (Dr. Guy Marcoux, who had been elected as a Social Credit MP in Quebec—Montmorency
in 1963, had left the Socred caucus to sit as an “independent Social Credit” MP.)
Caouette then gave a 55-minute speech to the convention saying that the results were the basis for forming an “efficient national Social Credit movement”.
On the Saturday of the convention, Caouette had given a 90-minute speech in which he described Thompson as a “marionette” for Premier of Alberta
Ernest Manning
, and said that in 1960, ten minutes before the leadership vote, Manning had instructed him to “tell your people to vote for Thompson because the West will never accept a Roman Catholic French Canadian leader”.
Thompson’s response to the split in his party was limited at first: “Quebec doesn’t quite run me yet, nor the country.” the following day, he said that the Social Credit Party would now have wider acceptance throughout Canada than it had before because of Caouette’s departure.
On 2 September 1963, seven Quebec MPs announced that they would be supporting Caouette’s breakaway faction: Maurice Coté (Chicoutimi), Jean-Louis Frenette (Portneuf), Chapdelaine, Gerard Ouelette (Rimouski
), and Marcel Lessard (Lake St. John
) and Gerard Grouard (Labelle
). Dr. Marcoux rejoined the Social Credit Party and announced his loyalty to Thompson. (Marcoux had never stated his reasons for quitting the party, but said that the reasons had now been removed.) This left the Thompson faction with 11 MPs, the Caouette faction with ten, and three MPs who had not announced. The executive of the Ralliement des in Marcoux's Quebec—Montmorency
riding called for his resignation, saying that he had "betrayed us, has lost our confidence forever, and for the last time we ask him to resign."
The Thompson loyalists said that they had been elected to work in the interests of party policies throughout the country under Thompson’s leadership, and that that mandate would remain intact until the next election. Further, they said that the positions of party leader and deputy leader could only be determined by a national convention. They announced that they would establish a new branch of the National Social Credit Association in Quebec to replace Caouette’s Ralliement des créditistes, which had been serving in that role. They also said that they expected that they would be expelled from the Ralliement.
Caouette met with 14 Quebec Socred MPs on 2 September 1963 to start work on creating the new party. “Eventually we will attempt to make this a national party and take it across Canada to protect French Canadians in every province.” His faction now included Charles Gauthier (Roberval), Gilles Gregoire (Lapointe), Gerard Perron (Beauce
), Gilbert Rondeau (Shefford
), Pierre Boulin (Dorchester
), R. Beaulé (Quebec Est
), L.-P. Boulanger (Charlevoix
), Raymond Langlois (Megantic
), in addition to Latulippe and Dionne.
Caouette was elected parliamentary leader and Gregoire was elected House Leader.
Caouette again called for a new national convention of the Social Credit Party of Canada to choose a new leader, and announced that the Thompson loyalists in the Quebec caucus would not be expelled from the Ralliement des creditistes. Caouette said that Thompson did not care about the French Canadian view of politics, and was afraid of embracing social credit doctrine
, for which there was more support in Quebec than in the rest of Canada.
On 10 September 1963, Lucien Plourde
, MP for Quebec West
, declared his support for Caouette, bringing the Ralliement des Creditiste caucus to 13, and reduced the Social Credit Party caucus to 11, one less than the minimum for a party to be a recognized group in the Canadian House of Commons
, which meant that Caouette—and not Thompson—would receive an extra $4,000 per year in compensation (worth about $27,850 in 2007 dollars), and be given priority in speaking in the House. Seven of the 11-member Social Credit Party caucus were Québécois, and only four from the party’s traditional base in Western Canada.
, the Socred
Premier of British Columbia
had supported Caouette’s bid for the leadership of the national party in 1960, but following the split declared his support for the national leader, albeit in a less than convincing way: “I am for making unity, not disunity. What’s-his-name [Thompson] was elected national leader at the national convention and he is the national leader.”
The rejection of Thompson’s leadership by the Quebec wing of the party was supported by a group of rebels in the Ontario Social Credit Association called “Social Credit Action”. This group had split from the Ontario wing of the party over its refusal to campaign aggressively in provincial elections. Social Credit Action, led by James Audy, the party’s former candidate in Spadina
riding, and by David Hartman, also of Toronto, announced its support for Caouette. Audy blamed the split on Thompson, saying that he only wanted to keep power for Manning. While Audy was announced by Caouette as leader of the Ralliements Ontario wing he did not run in the 1965 federal election
. In that election, Caouette's party only ran two candidates outside of Quebec, Raymond Berthiaume in the Glengarry—Prescott and Joseph-Hurgel Dubé in Restigouche—Madawaska
, both ridings with large francophone populations. In the 1968 federal election
they again stood a candidate in Restigouche but nowhere else outside of Quebec.
, a separatist party led by Marcel Chaput
, attended the annual meeting of the Quebec wing as an observer, and was seen talking to groups of young delegates.
Caouette, for his part, walked a thin line between federalism and separatism, saying that he wanted to work within the spirit and letter of Confederation: “Let us not burn our bridges. It is not the time for le Ralliement des créditistes to be separatists, but rather to win recognition for the French fact within Canada.” Caouette said that he would fight for the recognition of French Canada’s aspirations within Confederation on the basis of a partnership with the other nine provinces, “But if this partnership cannot be brought about, I shall become the more ardent separatist in Quebec.”
- one up from the 1962 and 1963 performance in English Canada. British Columbia premier W.A.C. Bennett
, who had supported Caouette's 1961 leadership bid, cut off his party's financial and organizational support to the federal party in order to pressure the national Social Credit Party to reconcile with Caouette's wing. Meanwhile, the Alberta wing also failed to give its federal counterpart material and organizational support. Ernest Manning
, Alberta Socred Premier, was concerned at the leftward drift of Canadian politics and urged Thompson to negotiate a merger between Social Credit and Robert Stanfield
's Progressive Conservative
s. Thompson attempted this but was unsuccessful.
Facing the loss of their seats, in 1967, Bud Olson
crossed the floor to join the Liberals and the next year Thompson himself joined the Tories. The three remaining Social Credit MPs lost their seats in the 1968 federal election
leaving Caouette's party as the sole representative of the Canadian social credit movement in the House of Commons. This cleared the ways for the two parties to reunite which occurred at the 1971 Social Credit convention which formally unified the party and elected Caouette as leader of the reconstituted 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...
, and the national organization had its roots in a long-standing dispute between the de facto leader of the Ralliement, 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...
, and the party’s national 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...
. At the party’s 1960 leadership convention, Thompson defeated Caouette for the leadership, and named him deputy leader of the party. The relationship was strained, however, and the strain was exacerbated when the party lost most of its seats in English-speaking parts of Canada in the 1963 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
. Only Thompson and three others were elected outside of Quebec, while 20 Socreds were elected in Quebec. The two factions of the party were not re-united until October 1971.
Founding a new party
On Sunday, 1 September 1963, at the annual meeting of the Quebec wing of the party in Granby, QuebecGranby, Quebec
Granby is a city in southwestern Quebec, located east of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 47,637. Granby is the seat of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. It is the fifth most populated city in Montérégie after Longueuil, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Brossard and...
, the 600 delegates voted to establish a new party. The vote was held after virtually no discussion by a show of hands. Approximately three-quarters of the delegates supported the motion to:
- no longer recognize Thompson as party leader; and
- ask the party’s Quebec Members of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA 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,...
(MPs) to name a parliamentary leader until a leadership convention could be held.
The convention also voted to appoint a ten-member committee to consider forming an affiliated party to contest provincial elections.
After the vote, 16 of the party’s 19 Quebec MPs met to consider approval of the motion. Ten of the MPs approved it immediately, while six deferred approval pending discussions with their constituents. Gerard Chapdelaine (Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke (electoral district)
Sherbrooke is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925.-Geography:This riding in the south of the province is located in the Quebec region of Estrie...
), Henri Latulippe (Compton—Frontenac
Compton—Frontenac
Compton—Frontenac was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1949 to 1968.-History:This riding was created in 1947 from parts of Compton, Mégantic—Frontenac and Stanstead ridings....
) and Charles-Eugene Dionne (Kamouraska
Kamouraska (electoral district)
For the provincial electoral district, see Kamouraska Kamouraska was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1869 to 1979. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867. There was no election in 1867 due to riots. There...
) did not attend the meeting. (Dr. Guy Marcoux, who had been elected as a Social Credit MP in Quebec—Montmorency
Québec—Montmorency
Québec—Montmorency was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1968.This riding was created in 1924 from parts of Charlevoix—Montmorency and Quebec County ridings....
in 1963, had left the Socred caucus to sit as an “independent Social Credit” MP.)
Caouette then gave a 55-minute speech to the convention saying that the results were the basis for forming an “efficient national Social Credit movement”.
On the Saturday of the convention, Caouette had given a 90-minute speech in which he described Thompson as a “marionette” for Premier of Alberta
Premier of Alberta
The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
Ernest Manning
Ernest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
, and said that in 1960, ten minutes before the leadership vote, Manning had instructed him to “tell your people to vote for Thompson because the West will never accept a Roman Catholic French Canadian leader”.
Thompson’s response to the split in his party was limited at first: “Quebec doesn’t quite run me yet, nor the country.” the following day, he said that the Social Credit Party would now have wider acceptance throughout Canada than it had before because of Caouette’s departure.
On 2 September 1963, seven Quebec MPs announced that they would be supporting Caouette’s breakaway faction: Maurice Coté (Chicoutimi), Jean-Louis Frenette (Portneuf), Chapdelaine, Gerard Ouelette (Rimouski
Rimouski (electoral district)
Rimouski was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 2003....
), and Marcel Lessard (Lake St. John
Lake St. John (electoral district)
Lake St. John was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1935.This riding was created in 1924 form parts of Chicoutimi—Saguenay riding. It consisted of the Counties of Lake St. John East and Lake St...
) and Gerard Grouard (Labelle
Labelle (electoral district)
Labelle was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1896 to 1988.This riding was created in 1892 from parts of Ottawa riding....
). Dr. Marcoux rejoined the Social Credit Party and announced his loyalty to Thompson. (Marcoux had never stated his reasons for quitting the party, but said that the reasons had now been removed.) This left the Thompson faction with 11 MPs, the Caouette faction with ten, and three MPs who had not announced. The executive of the Ralliement des in Marcoux's Quebec—Montmorency
Québec—Montmorency
Québec—Montmorency was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1968.This riding was created in 1924 from parts of Charlevoix—Montmorency and Quebec County ridings....
riding called for his resignation, saying that he had "betrayed us, has lost our confidence forever, and for the last time we ask him to resign."
The Thompson loyalists said that they had been elected to work in the interests of party policies throughout the country under Thompson’s leadership, and that that mandate would remain intact until the next election. Further, they said that the positions of party leader and deputy leader could only be determined by a national convention. They announced that they would establish a new branch of the National Social Credit Association in Quebec to replace Caouette’s Ralliement des créditistes, which had been serving in that role. They also said that they expected that they would be expelled from the Ralliement.
Caouette met with 14 Quebec Socred MPs on 2 September 1963 to start work on creating the new party. “Eventually we will attempt to make this a national party and take it across Canada to protect French Canadians in every province.” His faction now included Charles Gauthier (Roberval), Gilles Gregoire (Lapointe), Gerard Perron (Beauce
Beauce (electoral district)
Beauce is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1867. In 2006, it had a population of 103,617 people, of whom 82,123 were eligible voters.-Geography:...
), Gilbert Rondeau (Shefford
Shefford (electoral district)
Shefford is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1867. Its population in 2006 was 100,000.-Demographics:Ethnic groups: 99.2% WhiteLanguages: 95.2% French, 3.2% English...
), Pierre Boulin (Dorchester
Dorchester (electoral district)
Dorchester was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1968.It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which preserved the existing electoral districts in Lower Canada at the time...
), R. Beaulé (Quebec Est
Quebec East
Quebec East was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 2004....
), L.-P. Boulanger (Charlevoix
Charlevoix (electoral district)
Charlevoix was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1917 and from 1949 to 2004....
), Raymond Langlois (Megantic
Mégantic (electoral district)
Mégantic was a federal electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935, and from 1949 to 1968.-History:It was created by the British North America Act of 1867...
), in addition to Latulippe and Dionne.
Caouette was elected parliamentary leader and Gregoire was elected House Leader.
Caouette again called for a new national convention of the Social Credit Party of Canada to choose a new leader, and announced that the Thompson loyalists in the Quebec caucus would not be expelled from the Ralliement des creditistes. Caouette said that Thompson did not care about the French Canadian view of politics, and was afraid of embracing social credit doctrine
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"...
, for which there was more support in Quebec than in the rest of Canada.
On 10 September 1963, Lucien Plourde
Lucien Plourde
Lucien Plourde was a Ralliement Créditiste and Social Credit partymember of the Canadian House of Commons...
, MP for Quebec West
Quebec West
Quebec West was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935, and from 1949 to 1968.It was created by the British North America Act of 1867...
, declared his support for Caouette, bringing the Ralliement des Creditiste caucus to 13, and reduced the Social Credit Party caucus to 11, one less than the minimum for a party to be a recognized group in 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...
, which meant that Caouette—and not Thompson—would receive an extra $4,000 per year in compensation (worth about $27,850 in 2007 dollars), and be given priority in speaking in the House. Seven of the 11-member Social Credit Party caucus were Québécois, and only four from the party’s traditional base in Western Canada.
Reaction in the rest of Canada
W.A.C. BennettW.A.C. Bennett
William Andrew Cecil Bennett, PC, OC was the 25th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett was and remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was usually referred to as W.A.C...
, the Socred
British Columbia Social Credit Party
The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...
Premier of British Columbia
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
had supported Caouette’s bid for the leadership of the national party in 1960, but following the split declared his support for the national leader, albeit in a less than convincing way: “I am for making unity, not disunity. What’s-his-name [Thompson] was elected national leader at the national convention and he is the national leader.”
The rejection of Thompson’s leadership by the Quebec wing of the party was supported by a group of rebels in the Ontario Social Credit Association called “Social Credit Action”. This group had split from the Ontario wing of the party over its refusal to campaign aggressively in provincial elections. Social Credit Action, led by James Audy, the party’s former candidate in Spadina
Spadina (electoral district)
Spadina was a Canadian electoral district that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1988. It covered a portion of the western-central Toronto. Its name comes from the Spadina Avenue, which runs through the heart of the riding....
riding, and by David Hartman, also of Toronto, announced its support for Caouette. Audy blamed the split on Thompson, saying that he only wanted to keep power for Manning. While Audy was announced by Caouette as leader of the Ralliements Ontario wing he did not run in the 1965 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1965
The Canadian federal election of 1965 was held on November 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 27th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the House...
. In that election, Caouette's party only ran two candidates outside of Quebec, Raymond Berthiaume in the Glengarry—Prescott and Joseph-Hurgel Dubé in Restigouche—Madawaska
Restigouche—Madawaska
Restigouche—Madawaska was a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1968.This riding was created in 1914 from parts of Restigouche and Victoria ridings....
, both ridings with large francophone populations. In the 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
they again stood a candidate in Restigouche but nowhere else outside of Quebec.
A separatist element?
There is evidence that support for the split came, in part, from a Quebec separatist element in the party. Yvan Piche, chief organizer of the Parti républicainParti républicain du Québec
The Parti républicain du Québec or PRQ was a political party that advocated the independence of Quebec from Canada...
, a separatist party led by Marcel Chaput
Marcel Chaput
Marcel Chaput "", in Bilan du Siècle, Université de Sherbrooke, retrieved June 5, 2008) was a scientist and a militant for the independence of Quebec from Canada...
, attended the annual meeting of the Quebec wing as an observer, and was seen talking to groups of young delegates.
Caouette, for his part, walked a thin line between federalism and separatism, saying that he wanted to work within the spirit and letter of Confederation: “Let us not burn our bridges. It is not the time for le Ralliement des créditistes to be separatists, but rather to win recognition for the French fact within Canada.” Caouette said that he would fight for the recognition of French Canada’s aspirations within Confederation on the basis of a partnership with the other nine provinces, “But if this partnership cannot be brought about, I shall become the more ardent separatist in Quebec.”
Resolution
Thompson's Social Credit Party continued to stagnate electing only five MPs to the House of Commons in the 1965 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1965
The Canadian federal election of 1965 was held on November 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 27th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the House...
- one up from the 1962 and 1963 performance in English Canada. British Columbia premier W.A.C. Bennett
W.A.C. Bennett
William Andrew Cecil Bennett, PC, OC was the 25th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett was and remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was usually referred to as W.A.C...
, who had supported Caouette's 1961 leadership bid, cut off his party's financial and organizational support to the federal party in order to pressure the national Social Credit Party to reconcile with Caouette's wing. Meanwhile, the Alberta wing also failed to give its federal counterpart material and organizational support. Ernest Manning
Ernest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
, Alberta Socred Premier, was concerned at the leftward drift of Canadian politics and urged Thompson to negotiate a merger between Social Credit and Robert Stanfield
Robert Stanfield
Robert Lorne Stanfield, PC, QC was the 17th Premier of Nova Scotia and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He is sometimes referred to as "the greatest prime minister Canada never had", and earned the nickname "Honest Bob"...
's Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
s. Thompson attempted this but was unsuccessful.
Facing the loss of their seats, in 1967, Bud Olson
Bud Olson
Horace Andrew Olson, PC, AOE was a Canadian businessman, politician, and the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. He also served as a Canadian Member of Parliament, Senator, Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Economic and Regional Development...
crossed the floor to join the Liberals and the next year Thompson himself joined the Tories. The three remaining Social Credit MPs lost their seats in the 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
leaving Caouette's party as the sole representative of the Canadian social credit movement in the House of Commons. This cleared the ways for the two parties to reunite which occurred at the 1971 Social Credit convention which formally unified the party and elected Caouette as leader of the reconstituted Social Credit Party of Canada.
See also
- Social CreditSocial CreditSocial 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"...
- Social Credit Party of CanadaSocial Credit Party of CanadaThe Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
- Ralliement des créditistes
- Canadian social credit movementCanadian social credit movementThe 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...