Commonwealth Co-operative Federation

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Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Parti social démocratique du Canada
CCFlogo.png
founding 1932
fusion 1961
(merged into: New Democratic Party )
Alignment Social Democracy ,
Democratic Socialism
International connections Socialist International

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (French: Fédération du commonwealth coopératif , later Parti social démocratique du Canada ), abbreviated to CCF , was a socialist political party in Canada . It was created in 1932 as a reaction to the consequences of the global economic crisis from the merging of various organizations of the labor movement . The CCF was active both at the federal level and in various provinces. In 1944 she established the first socialist government in North America in the province of Saskatchewan . In 1961, she merged with the Canadian Labor Congress and went into the New Democratic Party . The party's full, but rarely used, name was Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Farmer-Labor-Socialist) .

history

The CCF sought to alleviate the severe social consequences of the global economic crisis through economic reforms and state intervention. The decision to form a party was made in 1930 at a meeting in the office of William Irvine, a member of the lower house of the United Farmers of Alberta . Also present were representatives of various cooperatives, workers' organizations, the academic "League for Social Reconstruction" and MPs belonging to the informal "Ginger Group" (consisting mainly of the left wing of the Progressive Party ).

At the 1932 inaugural meeting in Calgary , the charismatic and eloquent House of Commons James Shaver Woodsworth was elected first chairman of the CCF. At the 1933 party congress in Regina , the delegates adopted the “Regina Manifesto” as the party program. The CCF's demands were the nationalization of important industries, general pension insurance, free health care, unemployment insurance and occupational accident insurance. The long-term goal was to overcome capitalism .

In the 1935 general election , seven CCF MPs moved into the lower house , five years later there were eight. The CCF was particularly successful in western Canada , while in Québec and the Atlantic provinces it remained a splinter party. The outbreak of World War II created tension within the party. Woodsworth was an uncompromising pacifist, which angered many supporters of Canadian war participation. After Woodsworth's death in 1942, Major James Coldwell succeeded as chairman and the CCF supported the war.

In 1944, the CCF won the provincial election in its stronghold of Saskatchewan ; Tommy Douglas formed the first socialist government in North America and implemented numerous reforms, which were adopted over time by other provinces and by Lester Pearson's liberal federal government. In the general election in 1945 , the CCF achieved its best result with 15.55% of the vote and 28 seats. During the Cold War , the CCF was accused of supporting communism . In response to this, in 1956 she replaced the Regina Manifesto with a more moderate party platform, the Winnipeg Declaration.

After the severe defeat in the general election in 1958 , when the party fell from 25 to eight seats, the CCF and the Canadian Labor Congress decided to join forces and form a new party that would bring more voters closer to social democratic ideas. In 1961 the CCF was dissolved and the New Democratic Party was created .

Election results

Results of the House of Commons elections :

choice seats
total 		candidates
data 		Weighted
seats 		be right proportion of
1935 245 121 7th 386.253 8.78%
1940 245 93 8th 388.058 8.42%
1945 245 205 28 815.720 15.55%
1949 262 180 13 784.770 13.42%
1953 265 170 23 636.310 11.28%
1957 265 162 25th 707.828 10.71%
1958 265 169 8th 692,668 9.51%

Party leader

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Results of past general election - Elections Canada