Clarence Fines
Encyclopedia
Clarence Melvin Fines was provincial treasurer of the Canadian
province
of Saskatchewan
during the Tommy Douglas
era, and also served as Deputy Premier.
Fines was educated at both the University of Saskatchewan
and the University of Manitoba
and received a BA. He became a teacher and principal in Regina, and would later serve three years as the President of the Regina Teachers' Association. He then served two years as the President of the Regina Branch of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
.
While serving as an assistant principal at the same school as Major James Coldwell
, Fines became involved with the Independent Labour Party (ILP), which Coldwell headed. In 1931, Fines was elected president of the ILP, at the Western Conference of Labour Political Parties. He strived to merge the farmer and the labour political movements under one party. In July 1932, he succeeded in merging the two movements into the Saskatchewan Farmer-Labour Party. In August, he helped organize the founding meeting of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF) in Calgary.
Fines served as a Regina City Council
lor from 1934 to 1939 and from 1942 to 1944. During this time he was the chair of the Regina General Hospital, director of the Regina Exhibition Board, and a member of the parks board.
Fines was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
in the June 15, 1944 Saskatchean general election
that saw the CCF sweep the province, becoming Canada's first Social Democratic government. He represented the Regina City
constituency continuously from 1944 to 1960.
Fines had a tremendous influence over the reforms made by the CCF government over the following years. As treasuer, Fines made sure that these reforms were made while producing balanced budgets. In 1944, Saskatchewan had a debt of $218 million, 38% of Saskatchewan's GDP. With successive balanced budgets, Fines brought this number down to $70 million by 1949. In 1953, Saskatchewan was debtless. For the next 16 years, all of Fines' budgets had surpluses. During his tenure as an MLA, Fines also served as the minister responsible for the Bureau of Publications, Queen's Printer Office, Government Purchasing Agency, the Liquor Board, and Saskatchewan
Government Insurance.
In 1960, he retired and became a corporate financial advisor, eventually going to Grenada
. In 1963 he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he lived the rest of his life. When he died there on October 27, 1993, he was the last surviving member of Douglas's first cabinet. In 2006, Fines appeared as a prominent character in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's docu-drama mini-series Prairie Giant
: The Tommy Douglas Story, and was was portrayed by Canadian actor Don McKellar
.
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...
province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
during the Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
era, and also served as Deputy Premier.
Fines was educated at both the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
and the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
and received a BA. He became a teacher and principal in Regina, and would later serve three years as the President of the Regina Teachers' Association. He then served two years as the President of the Regina Branch of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation is the professional organization representing over 12,000 teachers in publicly funded schools in Saskatchewan.The Federation derives its mandate through The Teachers’ Federation Act, 2006...
.
While serving as an assistant principal at the same school as Major James Coldwell
Major James Coldwell
Major James William Coldwell, , usually known as M.J. , was a Canadian social democratic politician, and leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation party from 1942 to 1960. He was born in England, and immigrated to Canada in 1910...
, Fines became involved with the Independent Labour Party (ILP), which Coldwell headed. In 1931, Fines was elected president of the ILP, at the Western Conference of Labour Political Parties. He strived to merge the farmer and the labour political movements under one party. In July 1932, he succeeded in merging the two movements into the Saskatchewan Farmer-Labour Party. In August, he helped organize the founding meeting of 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 Calgary.
Fines served as a Regina City Council
Regina City Council
Regina City Council is the governing body of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The council consists of the mayor and ten councillors representing wards...
lor from 1934 to 1939 and from 1942 to 1944. During this time he was the chair of the Regina General Hospital, director of the Regina Exhibition Board, and a member of the parks board.
Fines was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The 25th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan was in power from 2003 until November 20, 2007. It was controlled by the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party under premier Lorne Calvert.-Members:-By-elections:...
in the June 15, 1944 Saskatchean general election
Saskatchewan general election, 1944
The Saskatchewan general election of 1944 was the tenth provincial election in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on June 15, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan....
that saw the CCF sweep the province, becoming Canada's first Social Democratic government. He represented the Regina City
Regina City (provincial electoral district)
Regina City is a former provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was the riding of premier William Melville Martin...
constituency continuously from 1944 to 1960.
Fines had a tremendous influence over the reforms made by the CCF government over the following years. As treasuer, Fines made sure that these reforms were made while producing balanced budgets. In 1944, Saskatchewan had a debt of $218 million, 38% of Saskatchewan's GDP. With successive balanced budgets, Fines brought this number down to $70 million by 1949. In 1953, Saskatchewan was debtless. For the next 16 years, all of Fines' budgets had surpluses. During his tenure as an MLA, Fines also served as the minister responsible for the Bureau of Publications, Queen's Printer Office, Government Purchasing Agency, the Liquor Board, and Saskatchewan
Government Insurance.
In 1960, he retired and became a corporate financial advisor, eventually going to Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
. In 1963 he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he lived the rest of his life. When he died there on October 27, 1993, he was the last surviving member of Douglas's first cabinet. In 2006, Fines appeared as a prominent character in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's docu-drama mini-series Prairie Giant
Prairie Giant
Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story is a CBC Television miniseries first aired in two consecutive parts on March 12 and March 13, 2006. It dramatizes and fictionalizes the life and career of Tommy Douglas, the Canadian politician who oversaw the legislation of Canada's first public healthcare...
: The Tommy Douglas Story, and was was portrayed by Canadian actor Don McKellar
Don McKellar
-Personal life:McKellar was born in Toronto, Ontario to a lawyer father and teacher mother. He attended Glenview Senior Public School, Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute and later studied English at the University of Toronto's Victoria College...
.