Fred Tipping
Encyclopedia
Frederick George Tipping was a labour organizer in Manitoba
, Canada
. He was involved in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, and subsequently ran for office as a candidate of the Labour Party
.
Tipping's personal beliefs were strongly influenced by the English
socialist Robert Blatchford
. He was a founder of the Social Democratic Party of Canada
in 1911, and was a prominent social democrat in Winnipeg
's north end during the 1910s. Distinguishing the SDP from the more doctrinaire Socialist Party of Canada
, he once wrote that "the doctrinal body is liable to use terminology that is peculiar to itself, [but] the language of the social democrat tended to be more the language of the street"(1). Tipping was elected to the Winnipeg trades council during this period, and helped to form in the Dominion Labour Party in 1918.
Tipping holds the unique distinction of being the only teacher to participate in the Winnipeg General Strike. He taught shop classes, and so was a member of the Winnipeg carpenter's union. When the strike was called, he believed it was his duty to support the workers. Interestingly, he was still paid by the Winnipeg School Board throughout the strike.
After the strike was suppressed, Tipping was arrested for addressing an open air meeting in defiance of a Winnipeg by-law. He was released later when it was shown that the address had actually taken place in the neighbouring community of Fort Garry. Tipping was later sent by the Strike Committee to Ottawa, to petition the federal government for a jury trial for other strikers arrested on charges of seditious conspiracy.
In the 1920 provincial election
, Tipping ran in the Winnipeg constituency as part of a "united labour" slate. At the time, Winnipeg elected ten members by a single transferable ballot. Although the labour slate did well overall, Tipping finished 36th on the first count and was eliminated on the sixteenth count.
He remained active with the labour movement and socialist parties after this period. He joined the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, and ran for the party in the 1945 federal election
in Winnipeg South
. He received 9,033 votes, finishing a credible third behind Liberal
Leslie Alexander Mutch. He ran again in the 1949 election
, with the same result. Tipping was nominated for the CCF nomination again in the 1953 provincial election
, but declined.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 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...
. He was involved in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, and subsequently ran for office as a candidate of the Labour Party
Dominion Labour Party (in Manitoba)
The Dominion Labour Party was a reformist labour party, formed in Canada in 1918. The party enjoyed itsgreatest success in the province of Manitoba....
.
Tipping's personal beliefs were strongly influenced by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
socialist Robert Blatchford
Robert Blatchford
Robert Peel Glanville Blatchford was a socialist campaigner, journalist and author in the United Kingdom. He was a prominent atheist and opponent of eugenics. He was also an English patriot...
. He was a founder of the Social Democratic Party of Canada
Social Democratic Party of Canada
The Social Democratic Party was a social democratic political party in Canada founded in 1911 by members of the right wing of the Socialist Party of Canada. these members were dissatisfied with what they saw as that party's rigid, doctrinaire approach...
in 1911, and was a prominent social democrat in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
's north end during the 1910s. Distinguishing the SDP from the more doctrinaire Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada
There have been two different but related political parties in Canada that called themselves the Socialist Party of Canada . The current Socialist Party is an electorally inactive and unregistered federal political party in Canada...
, he once wrote that "the doctrinal body is liable to use terminology that is peculiar to itself, [but] the language of the social democrat tended to be more the language of the street"(1). Tipping was elected to the Winnipeg trades council during this period, and helped to form in the Dominion Labour Party in 1918.
Tipping holds the unique distinction of being the only teacher to participate in the Winnipeg General Strike. He taught shop classes, and so was a member of the Winnipeg carpenter's union. When the strike was called, he believed it was his duty to support the workers. Interestingly, he was still paid by the Winnipeg School Board throughout the strike.
After the strike was suppressed, Tipping was arrested for addressing an open air meeting in defiance of a Winnipeg by-law. He was released later when it was shown that the address had actually taken place in the neighbouring community of Fort Garry. Tipping was later sent by the Strike Committee to Ottawa, to petition the federal government for a jury trial for other strikers arrested on charges of seditious conspiracy.
In the 1920 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1920
Manitoba's general election of 29 June 1920 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.-Background:...
, Tipping ran in the Winnipeg constituency as part of a "united labour" slate. At the time, Winnipeg elected ten members by a single transferable ballot. Although the labour slate did well overall, Tipping finished 36th on the first count and was eliminated on the sixteenth count.
He remained active with the labour movement and socialist parties after this period. He joined the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, and ran for the party in the 1945 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1945
The Canadian federal election of 1945 was the 20th general election in Canadian history. It was held June 11, 1945 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 20th Parliament of Canada...
in Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979, and since 1988. It covers the south of the city of Winnipeg...
. He received 9,033 votes, finishing a credible third behind Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Leslie Alexander Mutch. He ran again in the 1949 election
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
, with the same result. Tipping was nominated for the CCF nomination again in the 1953 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1953
Manitoba's general election of June 8, 1953 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. This was the first election held in Manitoba after the breakup of a ten-year coalition government led by the Liberal-Progressives and Progressive Conservatives...
, but declined.