Angus MacInnis
Encyclopedia
Angus MacInnis was a socialist politician and Canadian
parliament
arian.
MacInnis, a trade union
ist who had served for five years as a Vancouver
Alderman
, was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1930 election
as an Independent Labour Member of Parliament
. He joined the Ginger Group
of socialist MPs led by J.S. Woodsworth. He helped form the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF) in 1932 and thereafter sat as a CCF MP.
MacInnis retained his status as an MP through five subsequent elections until his retirement in 1957, but sat in three different ridings. From 1930 to 1935 he represented Vancouver South
. From 1935 to 1953, he was elected three times in Vancouver East
. He finished his political career as MP from Vancouver Kingsway
. He was an outspoken civil libertarian and spoke against the discrimination against Japanese Canadians that was widespread in British Columbia
in the 1930s and 1940s, and was an early advocate of extending the right to vote to Japanese Canadians, a right that was not won until 1949.
In 1943, he and his wife Grace MacInnis
published Oriental Canadians—Outcasts or Citizens? which, while a call for humane treatment of Japanese-Canadians, acquiesced to the prevailing mood at the time that favoured "evacuating" Japanese Canadians from the Pacific coast of British Columbia for reasons of wartime security.
When F.R. Scott stepped-down as the National Chairman, just before the CCF's biennial convention in Vancouver in July 1950, there was a rift between the farmer and labour wings.Percy Wright
a Saskatchewan farmer and Member of Parliament, represented the farmer-wing, while MacInnis, represented the labour-wing. Wright defeated MacInnis in the election to be the CCF's National Chairman.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
arian.
MacInnis, a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist who had served for five years as a Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
, was first elected to 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...
in the 1930 election
Canadian federal election, 1930
The Canadian federal election of 1930 was held on July 28, 1930 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Canada...
as an Independent Labour Member of Parliament
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,...
. He joined the Ginger Group
Ginger group
A ginger group is a formal or informal group within, for example, a political party seeking to inspire the rest with its own enthusiasm and activity....
of socialist MPs led by J.S. Woodsworth. He helped form the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation 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...
(CCF) in 1932 and thereafter sat as a CCF MP.
MacInnis retained his status as an MP through five subsequent elections until his retirement in 1957, but sat in three different ridings. From 1930 to 1935 he represented Vancouver South
Vancouver South
Vancouver South is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1997, and since 2004. It covers the southern portion of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia....
. From 1935 to 1953, he was elected three times in Vancouver East
Vancouver East
Vancouver East is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935....
. He finished his political career as MP from Vancouver Kingsway
Vancouver Kingsway
Vancouver Kingsway is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1953 to 1988 and since 1997. It is located in Vancouver.-Demographics:...
. He was an outspoken civil libertarian and spoke against the discrimination against Japanese Canadians that was widespread in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in the 1930s and 1940s, and was an early advocate of extending the right to vote to Japanese Canadians, a right that was not won until 1949.
In 1943, he and his wife Grace MacInnis
Grace MacInnis
Winona Grace MacInnis, OC, OBC was a Canadian politician and feminist. She was the first woman from British Columbia elected to the Canadian House of Commons, as well as the first wife of a former Canadian Member of Parliament to be elected to the House of Commons in her own right, rather than by...
published Oriental Canadians—Outcasts or Citizens? which, while a call for humane treatment of Japanese-Canadians, acquiesced to the prevailing mood at the time that favoured "evacuating" Japanese Canadians from the Pacific coast of British Columbia for reasons of wartime security.
When F.R. Scott stepped-down as the National Chairman, just before the CCF's biennial convention in Vancouver in July 1950, there was a rift between the farmer and labour wings.Percy Wright
Percy Wright
Percy Ellis Wright was a democratic socialist politician. He was a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation , and served over 13 years as a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons. He served on the CCF's national council and executive, and was elected as the CCF's National...
a Saskatchewan farmer and Member of Parliament, represented the farmer-wing, while MacInnis, represented the labour-wing. Wright defeated MacInnis in the election to be the CCF's National Chairman.
External links
- Persecution of Japanese Canadians and the Political Left in British Columbia December 1941 - March 1942 By Werner Cohn discusses MacInnis' position at length.