Canadian Election Series

Canada, 1921

At the close of World War One, Canada was governed by a coalition of Conservatives and pro-conscription Liberals called the Unionists. Their majority was overwhelming with the opposition Liberal reduced to a Francophone, anti-conscription rump in Quebec. While the country appeared united, major changes were on the horizon. Liberal leader Wilfred Laurier died of a stroke in 1919 and was replaced by MacKenzie King, a former Minister of Labour defeated in the 1917 election.

In 1919, the largest strike in Canadian history took place; the Winnipeg General Strike, which propelled several people into the national consciousness. As a result of high inflation, immigration, and returning soldier from the war, real wages had declined drastically and tensions were high. What started as a small metal workers strike erupted into a massive one with virtually the entire public sector and a majority of private sector workers in Winnipeg were on strike Arthur Meighen, the Minister of Justice, called in the Mounties after the police force refused to agree not to strike, calling it The strike had several violent confrontations.

Meighen later took over the Unionist leadership and became Prime Minister when Robert Borden retired. The Unionist government also passed legislation granting women the right to vote. Meighen has renamed his party the National Liberal and Conservative Party in an attempt to consolidate the Unionist strength. The name change did not really take although several former Liberal MPs are now standing as Tories.

Later, Liberal-Unionist MP and Minister of Agriculture Thomas Crerar walked out of the government in protest of the government’s high tarriffs and lack of attention to farmers, taking several MP’s. He later formed the Progressive Party which has won a few by-elections recently.

As the election approaches, with a host of new voters and new parties heading to the polls for the first time. This election promises to be historic no matter what the result

Parties

National Liberal and Conservative Party: Led by former Minister of Justice Arthur Meighen, who is most known for putting down the Winnipeg General Strike and calling it “a cloak for something far deeper--an effort to ‘overturn’ the proper authority”. The Tories are running on an anti-union, pro-business platform, and are calling for high military spending to consolidate Canada’s new military strength. Meighen is also campaigning heavily on his party’s giving women the vote.

Liberal Party: Led by ex Minister of Labour MacKenzie King, the Liberals consist mostly of anti-conscription Francophones, and returning Liberal-Unionists who neither opted for the renamed Tories, nor the upstart Progressives. King is running two parallel campaigns, reminding Francophones of his anti-conscription position during an unpopular war for Quebec, and attempting to chart a middle way between the radical left and the pro-business Tories in English Canada. The Liberal are promising to somewhat reduce (but not eliminate) tarriffs and wartime taxes, while increasing spending to reduce labour tensions

Progressive Party: Led by former Minister of Agriculture Thomas Crerar. Their caucus is formed by several ex Liberal-Unionist MPs and a few members of provincial United Farmers parties who have won by-elections. The Progressives are running on a platform of social democracy, free trade, and farm subsidies. The Progressives attack the Tories for their ties to big business and the Liberals for being insufficiently free trade and not doing enough to support farmers.

Labour Candidates: Not an actual party. Labour is a label given to several left wing parties running candidates this election. Although they don’t have a leader, their unoffical spokesman is J.S. Woodsworth, one of the leaders of the Winnipeg General Strike. Labour’s ticket include the Dominion Labour Party, Socialist Party of Canada, the Workers Party of Canada, and unaffiliated candidates nominated by local trade unions. Their platforms are equally diverse ranging from reformist social democracy to Bolshevism.

Seven days

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