Fishermen's Protective Union
Encyclopedia
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
. In many ways, the development of the FPU matched that of the United Farmers
United Farmers of Canada
The United Farmers of Canada was a radical farmers organization. It was established in 1926 as the United Farmers of Canada as a merger of the Farmers' Union of Canada and the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association...
movement in parts of Canada
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...
.
Origins and purpose
The FPU was founded on November 3, 1908 by William CoakerWilliam Coaker
Sir William Ford Coaker was a Newfoundland union leader and politician and founder of the Fisherman's Protective Union and the Fishermen's Union Trading Co....
and nineteen men following a speech by him at the Orange Hall in Herring Neck
Herring Neck, Newfoundland and Labrador
Herring Neck is a fishing community located at the northeastern extremity of New World Island, Notre Dame Bay of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The community encompasses several small contiguous communities such as Cobb's Arm, Too Good Arm, Ship Island, Merritt's Harbour, Salt Harbour and...
as a cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
movement for fishers
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
on the northeast coast of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
. It was the first serious attempt to organize fishers as a political movement along class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
lines. With a rallying cry of "to each his own" the FPU sought to achieve reforms in Newfoundland society in order to attain an equitable distribution of wealth in the fishing industry
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
.
At its peak, it had more than 21,000 members in 206 councils across the island; more than half of Newfoundland's fishers. The FPU set up the Fishermen's Union Trading Co.
Fishermen's Union Trading Co.
The Fishermen's Union Trading Company , a limited liability company, was founded in 1911 to be the commercial arm of the Fishermen's Protective Union...
(UTC) which established stores throughout the province which would purchase fish from fishers for cash and would also import goods to sell to fishers directly at a non-inflated price, thus circumventing the St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
fish merchants. Previously, merchants did not pay cash for fish but advanced fisherman staple
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
goods at an inflated price on credit and then took took the fishers' cured fish at the end of the season at rate determined by the merchant - a system which kept most fishers in perpetual debt making him dependent on the merchant.
Church opposition
The party was overwhelmingly, almost exclusively Protestant, and was accused of having links with the Orange OrderOrange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
. As a consequence, it was distrusted by Roman Catholic voters, and vigorously opposed by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, who opposed the union not only for its alleged Orange links, but also for its trade unionism and class-based politics. Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
M.F. Howley
Michael Francis Howley
Michael Francis Howley was a Roman Catholic priest and Archbishop of Saint John’s, Newfoundland from 1904 to 1914.-External links:*...
of St. John's, objected to the FPU as he was concerned that the secular union might undermine the church's authority among Catholics living in Newfoundland's outport
Outport
Outport is the name given in the United Kingdom for a subsidiary port built in deeper water than the original port. The Port of Tilbury from the Port of London is a good example. Avonmouth and Bristol and, on a smaller and now historical scale, Fordwich and Canterbury are others....
s. Howley's successor, Archbishop Roche, was even more opposed to the union, particularly when it moved towards political activity. The church's hostility to the union impeded its ability to recruit members in Catholic areas such as the southern Avalon Peninsula
Avalon Peninsula
The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland.The peninsula is home to 257,223 people, which is approximately 51% of Newfoundland's population in 2009, and is the location of the provincial capital, St. John's. It is connected to the...
and in Conception Bay
Conception Bay
Conception Bay is a Canadian bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. The bay indents the Avalon Peninsula with the opening of the bay to the Atlantic Ocean at the northeast. It is bounded by Cape St. Francis in the south and Split Point near Bay de Verde in the north...
.
Bonavista Platform
In 1912 the FPU adopted the Bonavista Platform, a political manifesto calling for radical change in fishery policy, social policy and governance. Consisting of 31 planks it an advocated co-operative marketing and government regulation of fish grading. In social policy it proposed the reduction of tariffs on staple foods, improvements to old age pensions, free and compulsory education and a minimum wageMinimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
. The Platform also called for democratic reforms such as the right to recall
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
Members of the Newfoundland House of Assembly and having a salary for elected representatives in order to make it feasible for those who are not independently wealthy to be involved in politics.
Electoral politics
The FPU entered electoral politics in 1913 as a left-wing party with a platform calling for government regulation of the fisheries, administrative and constitutional reform, and the extension of education and social welfare. Eight members of the FPU were elected to the House of AssemblyHouse of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
in 1913 including Coaker.
The FPU believed that the interests of fishers were being ignored by the mainstream parties, and that candidates elected on a class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
basis would be able to hold the balance of power and influence government in the interests of fishermen. In his maiden speech to the House of Assembly, Coaker spoke of the significance of outport fishermen gaining a measure of political power. "It is not an accident we have come here," he said, "[a] revolution ... has been fought in Newfoundland. The fisherman, the toiler of Newfoundland has made up his mind that he is going to be represented on the floors of this House."
FPU members of the House of Assembly
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
joined Edward Patrick Morris' wartime
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
National Government
National unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity, or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency.- Canada :During World War I the Conservative government of Sir...
of 1917 with Coaker as minister of fisheries. The FPU's reputation was hurt, however, by its support of the government's conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
policy which was unpopular in Newfoundland's outport fishing villages, particularly as by taking their sons overseas it hurt the ability of fishing families to earn enough to support themselves. Coaker had promised that there would be no conscription without a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
but he and the FPU ended up supporting the government's decision to implement the measure without a vote resulting in some FPU council's passing resolutions to censure Coaker.
In 1919, the FPU joined with the Liberal Party of Newfoundland
Liberal parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)
For the modern Liberal Party see Liberal Party of Newfoundland and LabradorSeveral earlier groupings functioned in the Dominion of Newfoundland under the name Liberal Party of Newfoundland from the granting of responsible government to the island in the 1850s until its suspension in 1934 when the...
led by Richard Squires
Richard Squires
Sir Richard Anderson Squires KCMG was the Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1919 to 1923 and from 1928 to 1932.-Early career:...
to form the Liberal Reform Party. The Liberal-Union coalition won 24 of 36 seats in the 1919 general election
Newfoundland general election, 1919
The 25th Newfoundland general election was held on 3 November 1919 to elect members of the 24th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland. The Liberal Reform Party, an alliance between the Liberals led by Richard Squires and the Fishermen's Protective Union of William Coaker,...
with half of the coalition's seats being won by Union candidates. Coaker was appointed Fisheries Minister and attempted to introduce regulations to control the prices of fish exported abroad but the rules were too weak and failed in its goal of preventing Newfoundland's exporters from undercutting each other. The fishery industry declined in the 1920s as a result causing high unemployment, falling fish prices and emigration from the island. The influence of the FPU subsequently declined and it withdrew from electoral politics in 1924 though it attempted a return in the 1928 election winning 9 seats and becoming a junior partner in the government of Frederick C. Alderdice
Frederick C. Alderdice
Frederick Charles Alderdice was a businessman, politician and the last Prime Minister of Newfoundland. A prominent St...
with much less influence then it enjoyed a decade earlier. Coaker became minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
and again attempted to pass reforms to the fishing industry but was not successful. The downward economic spiral caused by the decline of the fishing industry was aggravated further by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
resulting in the collapse of responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
in 1934 and the implementation of direct rule from Britain via the Commission of Government
Commission of Government
The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949...
.
Coaker resigned as FPU president in 1923 but retained his position as leader of the Fishermen's Union Trading Company.
Decline
The FPU's political role ended entiely with the suspension of responsible governmentResponsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
in 1934 (which Coaker supported). The union became a service organization for its members, running businesses and its activities on behalf of fishermen and loggers. The FPU survived into the post-confederation period when democratic politics resumed in 1949 though it ran no candidates and had faded away by 1960. The Fishermen's Union Trading Co. survived until 1977 when it fell into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
resulting in its ten remaining stores being sold.
Leaders
- William CoakerWilliam CoakerSir William Ford Coaker was a Newfoundland union leader and politician and founder of the Fisherman's Protective Union and the Fishermen's Union Trading Co....
1908-1923 - J.H. Scammell 1923 - 1934
- K.M. Brown 1934 - 1948
- C.R. Granger 1948 - 1954
- Gilbert Yetman 1954 - 1960
Song
The original anthem of the Fishermens Protective Union was titled "We are Coming Mr. Coaker" which was sang or chanted at FPU meetings to show support for Coaker and his movement to unite the fishermen. The author of the work is unknown. The source of the tune has been identified as the American Civil War song "We Are Coming, Father Abraham, Three Hundred Thousand More", a call to arms written in 1862 by James Sloan Gibbons.An additional verse was added to the song during the 1990s when Port Union was being brushed up to be a heritage site.
See also
- List of political parties in Newfoundland and Labrador
- General elections in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)General elections in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)Newfoundland, as a British colony and dominion, held 29 general elections for its 28 Newfoundland House of Assemblies. In 1934 the Dominion of Newfoundland surrendered its constitution to the Crown and ceased to have a legislature in order to be ruled by London through the Commission of...
- Fish, Food and Allied Workers UnionFish, Food and Allied Workers UnionThe Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union is a trade union in Newfoundland and Labrador that represents 20,000 workers. Most of the members are in the fishing industry but the FFAW also has organized workers in the hotel, hospitality, brewing, metal fabrication, window manufacturing and oil...
External links
- The Fishermen's Protective Union a web site of the Maritime History Archive (MHA) at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN).
- The Rise of the Fishermen's Protective Union, the First World War and the National Government, 1908-1919
- Map of Fishermen's Union Trading Company (FUTC) Stores
- The Fishermen's Protective Union and Politics
- Terra Nova Greens: Fisheman's Protective Union (sympathetic account)