Encyclopedia:
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation,
Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation,
People's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation,
Talk:Co-operative Commonwealth Federation,
Alberta New Democratic Party,
Category:Co-operative Commonwealth Federation of Ontario MPPs,
Talk:Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation,
Talk:People's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) was a
Canadian political party founded in 1932 in
Calgary, Alberta, by a number of
socialist, farm,
co-operative and
labour groups, and the
League for Social Reconstruction. In 1961, it disbanded and was replaced by the
New Democratic Party. The full, but little used, name of the party was
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Farmer-Labour-Socialist).
The CCF aimed to alleviate the suffering of the
Great Depression through economic reform and public "co-operation". Many of the party's first
Members of Parliament (MPs) were former members of the
Ginger Group of left-wing
Progressive and
Labour MPs.
The decision to launch the CCF was made shortly after the
1930 federal election at a meeting in
United Farmers of Alberta MP
William Irvine's office. According to author Margaret Stewart, the meeting consisted of Irvine and several other left-wing MPs:
left|300px|thumb|First Federal CCF Caucus, 1935*
Agnes Macphail, MP, the militant farm spokesperson from Grey southeast in Ontario;
*
Ted Garland, MP, one of the old Progressives;
*
Humphrey Mitchell, MP, a trade unionist;
*
A.A. Heaps, MP, who had gone to jail for his support of the unionists in the Winnipeg Strike;
*
Angus MacInnis, MP, then generally described as a Marxist Socialist; and
*
J.S. Woodsworth, MP, the charismatic figure who could persuade others to shelve, or split their differences. (Stewart,
Ask No Quarter; a Biography of Agnes Macphail, p.98)
Also involved in the plans to found a new party were members of the
League for Social Reconstruction.
At its founding convention in 1932, the CCF selected J.S. Woodsworth as party leader. Woodworth had been a
Independent Labour Party MP since 1921, and a member of the Ginger Group of MPs. The party's 1933 convention, held in
Regina, Saskatchewan, adopted the
Regina Manifesto as the party's program. The manifesto outlined a number of goals, including:
*
Public ownership of key industries, and
* Creation of a
welfare state:
** Universal
pensions
**
Universal health care** Children's allowances
**
Unemployment insurance**
Workers compensationIt concluded that "No CCF Government will rest content until it has eradicated
capitalism and put into operation the full programme of socialized planning which will lead to the establishment in Canada of the Co-operative Commonwealth."
Election success
left|300px|thumb|CCF founding meeting, Calgary, 1932In its first election in
1935, seven CCF MPs were elected to the
House of Commons. Eight were elected in the following election in
1940. But the party was divided with the outbreak of
World War II: Woodsworth was an uncompromising
pacifist, and this upset many supporters of the Canadian war effort. After Woodsworth died in 1942, a new leader,
Major Coldwell, was elected, and threw the party's support behind the war. The party won a critical
York South by-election in February 1942, and in the process prevented the
Conservative leader, former
Prime Minister Arthur Meighen, from entering the House of Commons. In the
1945 election, 28 CCF MPs were elected, and the party won 15.6% of the vote.
However, the party was to have its greatest success in provincial politics in the 40s. In 1943, the
Ontario CCF became the official opposition in that province, and in 1944, the
Saskatchewan CCF formed the first socialist government in
North America with
Tommy Douglas as
premier. Douglas introduced
universal healthcare to
Saskatchewan, a policy that was soon adopted by other provinces and implemented nationally by the
Liberals under
Lester B. Pearson.
right|200px|thumb|Cover of a Farm-Labour pamphletFederally, during the
Cold War, the CCF was accused of having communist, dictatorial leanings. The party moved to address these accusations in 1956, by replacing the Regina Manifesto with a more moderate document, the
Winnipeg Declaration. Nevertheless, the party did poorly in the
1958 election, winning only eight seats.
After much discussion, the CCF and the
Canadian Labour Congress decided to join forces to create a new political party, which could make
social democracy more popular with Canadian voters. In 1961, the CCF became the
New Democratic Party.
CCF song
The CCF had a song, which would be later popularized by the movie
Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas StoryFirst verse:
:
A call goes out to Canada:
It comes from out the soil—:
Come and join the ranks through all the land:
To fight for those who toil:
Come on farmer, soldier, labourer,:
From the mine and factory,:
And side by side we'll swell the tide—:
C.C.F. to Victory! http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/election/en/images/big/77.jpgParty leaders
*
J.S Woodsworth -
August 1,
1932 -
March 21,
1942*
Major Coldwell -
March 22,
1942 -
August 10,
1960*
Hazen Argue -
August 11,
1960 -
August 2,
1961 Election results 1935-1958
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
! Election
! # of candidates nominated
! # of seats won
! # of total votes
! % of popular vote
|-
!
1935 |
117
| 7*
| 386,253
| 8.78%
|-
!1940
| 94
| 8
| 388,058
| 8.42%
|-
! 1945
| 205
| 28
| 815,720
| 15.55%
|-
! 1949
| 181
| 13
| 785,910
| 13.42%
|-
! 1953
| 170
| 23
| 636,310
| 11.28%
|-
! 1957
| 162
| 25
| 707,828
| 10.71%
|-
! 1958
| 169
| 8
| 692,668
| 9.49%
|}
* Not including Agnes Macphail who worked with the CCF but was elected as a United Farmers of Ontario-Labour MP.
See also
*List of articles about CCF/NDP members
*List of articles about British Columbia CCF/NDP members
*List of articles about Alberta CCF/NDP members
*List of articles about Saskatchewan CCF/NDP members
*List of articles about Manitoba CCF/NDP members
*List of articles about Ontario CCF/NDP members
*List of articles about Nova Scotia CCF/NDP members
*List of articles about Yukon NDP members
*Saskatchewan CCF
*Ontario CCF
*British Columbia CCF
*United Farmers
*Labour Party (Canada)
*New Democratic Party
*Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
*Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif (CCF in Quebec)
*Canadian Labour Congress
External links
*http://www.mta.ca/faculty/arts/canadian_studies/english/about/study_guide/roots/index.html The Prairie Roots of Canada's Political 'Third Parties'
*http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=ArchivedFeatures&Params=A258 CCF: Changing Canadian government feature article from the Canadian Encyclopedia
*http://www2.marianopolis.edu/quebechistory/readings/ccf-ndp.htm The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the New Democratic Party (NDP): their Failure in Quebec, 1932-1997
start
succession box | before = League for Social Reconstruction | title = Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | years = 1932 - 1961 | after = New Democratic
end
Category:1932 establishments
Category:1961 disestablishments
Category:Canadian socialist organizations
Category:New Democratic Party of Canada
Category:Political history of Canada
Category:Federal political parties in Canada
Category:Labour history of Canada
fr:Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
pl:Federacja Wspólnot Spółdzielczych (Kanada)
