Independent Labour Party (in Manitoba) (II)
Encyclopedia
Prior to 1920, there were a number of groups in Winnipeg which called themselves the "Independent Labour Party". For information on these groups, see Independent Labour Party (Manitoba, 1895).
The Independent Labour Party was the leading social-democratic party in Manitoba
, Canada
, prior to the emergence of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
. Several of its candidates were elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
, and it counted federal Members of Parliament
J.S. Woodsworth and Abraham Albert Heaps
among its members.
The ILP was founded in December 1920 by disgruntled members of the Dominion Labour Party
, who left that organization when it was taken over by rightist elements. Like the DLP, the ILP was a reformist labour group, and often had hostile relations with parties further to the left.
In the provincial election of 1920
, the combined efforts of reformist labourites and socialists resulted in eleven leftists being elected to the Manitoba legislature. Most of these Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs), including parliamentary leader Fred Dixon
, were part of the exodus from the DLP to the ILP later in the year.
The ILP fell to six seats in the election of 1922
, and Dixon resigned from the legislature in 1923 following a family tragedy. He was replaced as party leader by John Queen
, formerly of the Social Democratic Party of Canada
.
Support for left-wing and labour parties declined throughout Canada in the late 1920s. Queen led the ILP through the elections of 1927 and 1932, winning three and five seats respectively. He was replaced by Seymour J. Farmer
in 1935.
The ILP never affiliated with the Canadian Labour Party
. Initially, this was because the rightist DLP leadership had affiliated itself with the CLP soon after the exodus of ILP members. There were attempts at a compromise, but divisions between DLP and ILP members were too strong to overcome and the ILP refused to join the "national" organization as such. Later, the ILP would remain out of the CLP due to the large number of Communists
who joined the latter group in the 1920s. (The CLP was, in any case, a fairly weak organization in Manitoba, and the ILP leaders had little incentive to merge with their smaller rival.)
The ILP had a complicated relationship with the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
in the 1930s. The CCF was formed to expand the parliamentary left's support base beyond the urban working class, and many in the ILP were suspicious of this. The parties nevertheless became aligned in 1933, at a time when the CCF organization in the province
was weak. In three years, the CCF had developed its own identity and was less willing to support the ILP's demands for autonomy.
The party was referred to as "ILP-CCF" during the provincial election of 1936, against the opposition of some traditional ILP supporters. Following the election (in which the party won seven seats), a group of disgruntled ILP members succeeded in temporarily disaffiliating the parties. Pressure from David Lewis
and J.S. Woodsworth brought about a realignment, but the ILP's relationship with the CCF remained shakey until the early 1940s, when CCF loyalists took over the ILP's internal organization. These divisions were especially noticeable at the start of World War II
: the ILP supported an all-out war effort, whereas the CCF favoured conscription of "wealth before men".
The ILP organization officially disbanded in 1943. It had been superseded by the CCF some time earlier.
All leaders were selected by party caucus, seemingly without opposition.
The Independent Labour Party was the leading social-democratic party in Manitoba
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...
, prior to the emergence 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...
. Several of its candidates were elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
, and it counted federal Members 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,...
J.S. Woodsworth and Abraham Albert Heaps
Abraham Albert Heaps
Abraham Albert Heaps was a Canadian politician and labour leader.Born in Leeds, England, Heaps immigrated to Canada in 1911 and worked in Winnipeg as an upholsterer. He was one of the leaders of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and was a Labor alderman on the Winnipeg City Council from 1917...
among its members.
The ILP was founded in December 1920 by disgruntled members of the Dominion 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....
, who left that organization when it was taken over by rightist elements. Like the DLP, the ILP was a reformist labour group, and often had hostile relations with parties further to the left.
In the provincial election of 1920
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:...
, the combined efforts of reformist labourites and socialists resulted in eleven leftists being elected to the Manitoba legislature. Most of these Members of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLAs), including parliamentary leader Fred Dixon
Fred Dixon
Fred Dixon was a Manitoba politician, and was for several years the dominant figure in the province's mainstream labour movement.Born in Englefield, England, Dixon was not a socialist...
, were part of the exodus from the DLP to the ILP later in the year.
The ILP fell to six seats in the election of 1922
Manitoba general election, 1922
Manitoba's general election of July 18, 1922 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.As in the previous election of 1920, the city of Winnipeg elected ten members by the single transferable ballot...
, and Dixon resigned from the legislature in 1923 following a family tragedy. He was replaced as party leader by John Queen
John Queen
John Queen was a Manitoba politician, and the second parliamentary leader of that province's Independent Labour Party...
, formerly 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...
.
Support for left-wing and labour parties declined throughout Canada in the late 1920s. Queen led the ILP through the elections of 1927 and 1932, winning three and five seats respectively. He was replaced by Seymour J. Farmer
Seymour J. Farmer
Seymour James Farmer was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as the 30th mayor of Winnipeg from 1923 to 1924, and was later the leader of the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1935 to 1947. In the latter capacity, he became the first socialist politician in Canada to...
in 1935.
The ILP never affiliated with the Canadian Labour Party
Canadian Labour Party
The Canadian Labour Party was an early, unsuccessful attempt at creating a national labour party in Canada. Although it ran candidates in the federal elections of 1917, 1921, 1925 and 1926, it never succeeded in its goal of providing a national forum for the Canadian labour movement...
. Initially, this was because the rightist DLP leadership had affiliated itself with the CLP soon after the exodus of ILP members. There were attempts at a compromise, but divisions between DLP and ILP members were too strong to overcome and the ILP refused to join the "national" organization as such. Later, the ILP would remain out of the CLP due to the large number of Communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
who joined the latter group in the 1920s. (The CLP was, in any case, a fairly weak organization in Manitoba, and the ILP leaders had little incentive to merge with their smaller rival.)
The ILP had a complicated relationship with 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...
in the 1930s. The CCF was formed to expand the parliamentary left's support base beyond the urban working class, and many in the ILP were suspicious of this. The parties nevertheless became aligned in 1933, at a time when the CCF organization in the province
Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation , known informally as the Manitoba CCF, was a provincial branch of the national Canadian party by the same name. The national CCF was the dominant social-democratic party in Canada from the 1930s to the early 1960s, when it merged with the labour movement...
was weak. In three years, the CCF had developed its own identity and was less willing to support the ILP's demands for autonomy.
The party was referred to as "ILP-CCF" during the provincial election of 1936, against the opposition of some traditional ILP supporters. Following the election (in which the party won seven seats), a group of disgruntled ILP members succeeded in temporarily disaffiliating the parties. Pressure from David Lewis
David Lewis (politician)
David Lewis, CC was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to 1950, and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party in 1961...
and J.S. Woodsworth brought about a realignment, but the ILP's relationship with the CCF remained shakey until the early 1940s, when CCF loyalists took over the ILP's internal organization. These divisions were especially noticeable at the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
: the ILP supported an all-out war effort, whereas the CCF favoured conscription of "wealth before men".
The ILP organization officially disbanded in 1943. It had been superseded by the CCF some time earlier.
Party leaders
- Fred DixonFred DixonFred Dixon was a Manitoba politician, and was for several years the dominant figure in the province's mainstream labour movement.Born in Englefield, England, Dixon was not a socialist...
1921-1923 - John QueenJohn QueenJohn Queen was a Manitoba politician, and the second parliamentary leader of that province's Independent Labour Party...
1923-1935 - Seymour Farmer 1935-1943
All leaders were selected by party caucus, seemingly without opposition.
See also
- List of Manitoba political parties
- Winnipeg Labour PartyWinnipeg Labour PartyThe Winnipeg Labour Party was a reformist organization in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, representing labour interests. Founded in 1896, it was based on an earlier Winnipeg organization known as the Independent Labour Party .The party initially received support from both...
- Manitoba Labour PartyManitoba Labour PartyThe Manitoba Labour Party was a reformist, non-Marxist labour party in Manitoba, Canada. It was created in early May 1910 as a successor to the province's second Independent Labour Party . Former Member of Parliament A.W. Puttee was a leading MLP organizer...