Norman Jaques
Encyclopedia
Norman Jaques was a farmer and a Canadian
federal politician who represented the electoral district of Wetaskiwin
in the Canadian House of Commons
from 1935 to 1949. Jaques was a member of the Social Credit Party
.
, England
, and attended Eastborne College in Sussex
. He moved to Canada in 1901, and became a farmer in Mirror
, Alberta
. He sought to establish a horse-breeding farm at one stage, but later abandoned the project. He had retired from farming before starting his political career.
, and defeated Cooperative Commonwealth Federation incumbent William Irvine
amid a landslide victory for Social Credit candidates in Alberta. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1940
and 1945
, receiving less than 40% of the vote on both occasions. Near the end of his career, he was a member of an external affairs committee that attended United Nations
meetings at Lake Success
. He died in office in 1949, having been re-nominated as a Social Credit candidate for the 1949 federal election
. Social Credit had little standing outside of Alberta during this period, and elected few legislators at the national level. Jaques spent his entire parliamentary career as an opposition member.
The Social Credit movement gained a reputation for anti-Semitism
in its early years, and Jaques was widely regarded as the most anti-Semitic member of the party's parliamentary grouping. He promoted C.H. Douglas's belief in an international financial Jewish conspiracy, and attempted to read excerpts from Protocols of the Elders of Zion into the Canadian parliamentary record. In private correspondence, he told a Saskatchewan
resident that "the Jews control all means of gathering news and of propaganda". Jaques also believed that an international Jewish conspiracy was responsible for both communism
and Zionism
. He opposed allowing Jewish refugees into Canada prior to World War II
on the argument that they constituted a communist invasion force, and once dismissed the charge of anti-Semitism against him as a "communist smokescreen". He was a vocal opponent of the creation of the State of Israel in 1947-48, and described Zionism as "a political movement ... to dominate the world". Janine Stingel has written that Jaques, in common with other ideologues in his party, "was either unwilling or unable to separate anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism".
Jaques met with American anti-Semitic leader Gerald L.K. Smith in 1947, and was quoted by the Montreal Gazette as saying that "Gerald Smith is truly a great Christian gentleman who has been cruelly maligned. He stands for Christian nationalism. But, of course, the Communists have smeared him as anti-semitic... Smith believes in America for the Americans and in the American way of life... I have tried to do the same with the Canadian way of life and Canadian freedom and I will keep right on trying". Jaques later retracted his support for Smith, and said that most of the quotations attributed to him by the Gazette were fabrications. He did, however, describe Smith as having "done more to expose communist plots that any other public man in the United States of America", and said that he would try to do the same in Canada. The Anti-Defamation League
described Jaques as a "notorious anti-semite who has abused the privilege of entry into the United States by stirring up misunderstanding and tensions among racial and religious groups."
Jaques was also an opponent of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
, which he accused of promoting communism.
Some other members of the Social Credit Party attempted to distance themselves from Jaques. Solon Earl Low
, who became national party leader in 1944 and himself made anti-Semitic statements alleging a conspiracy of Jewish bankers, nevertheless said in private correspondence that Jaques "considered himself above party discipline and [...] absent[ed] himself from all caucuses". Toward the end of his life, Jaques's writings were banned from the official Social Credit party journal.
Jaques died of a heart attack in early 1949.
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...
federal politician who represented the electoral district of Wetaskiwin
Wetaskiwin (electoral district)
Wetaskiwin is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925.-Geography:...
in 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...
from 1935 to 1949. Jaques was a member of the Social Credit Party
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
.
Early life and career
Jaques was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
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...
, and attended Eastborne College in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. He moved to Canada in 1901, and became a farmer in Mirror
Mirror, Alberta
Mirror is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Lacombe County. It is located at the junction of Highway 50 and Highway 21, approximately east of Lacombe.It was named for The Daily Mirror of London, England....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. He sought to establish a horse-breeding farm at one stage, but later abandoned the project. He had retired from farming before starting his political career.
Member of Parliament
Jaques first ran for the Canadian House of Commons in the 1935 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1935
The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central...
, and defeated Cooperative Commonwealth Federation incumbent William Irvine
William Irvine (Canadian politician)
William Irvine was a Canadian politician, journalist and clergyman. He served in the Canadian House of Commons on three different occasions, as a representative of Labour, the United Farmers of Alberta and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
amid a landslide victory for Social Credit candidates in Alberta. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1940
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
and 1945
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...
, receiving less than 40% of the vote on both occasions. Near the end of his career, he was a member of an external affairs committee that attended United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
meetings at Lake Success
Lake Success, New York
Lake Success is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,934 at the 2010 census.Lake Success is in the Town of North Hempstead on northwest Long Island. Lake Success was the temporary home of the United Nations from 1946 to 1951, occupying the headquarters of...
. He died in office in 1949, having been re-nominated as a Social Credit candidate for the 1949 federal 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...
. Social Credit had little standing outside of Alberta during this period, and elected few legislators at the national level. Jaques spent his entire parliamentary career as an opposition member.
The Social Credit movement gained a reputation for anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
in its early years, and Jaques was widely regarded as the most anti-Semitic member of the party's parliamentary grouping. He promoted C.H. Douglas's belief in an international financial Jewish conspiracy, and attempted to read excerpts from Protocols of the Elders of Zion into the Canadian parliamentary record. In private correspondence, he told a 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....
resident that "the Jews control all means of gathering news and of propaganda". Jaques also believed that an international Jewish conspiracy was responsible for both communism
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...
and Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
. He opposed allowing Jewish refugees into Canada prior to 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...
on the argument that they constituted a communist invasion force, and once dismissed the charge of anti-Semitism against him as a "communist smokescreen". He was a vocal opponent of the creation of the State of Israel in 1947-48, and described Zionism as "a political movement ... to dominate the world". Janine Stingel has written that Jaques, in common with other ideologues in his party, "was either unwilling or unable to separate anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism".
Jaques met with American anti-Semitic leader Gerald L.K. Smith in 1947, and was quoted by the Montreal Gazette as saying that "Gerald Smith is truly a great Christian gentleman who has been cruelly maligned. He stands for Christian nationalism. But, of course, the Communists have smeared him as anti-semitic... Smith believes in America for the Americans and in the American way of life... I have tried to do the same with the Canadian way of life and Canadian freedom and I will keep right on trying". Jaques later retracted his support for Smith, and said that most of the quotations attributed to him by the Gazette were fabrications. He did, however, describe Smith as having "done more to expose communist plots that any other public man in the United States of America", and said that he would try to do the same in Canada. The Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
described Jaques as a "notorious anti-semite who has abused the privilege of entry into the United States by stirring up misunderstanding and tensions among racial and religious groups."
Jaques was also an opponent of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, which he accused of promoting communism.
Some other members of the Social Credit Party attempted to distance themselves from Jaques. Solon Earl Low
Solon Earl Low
Solon Earl Low was a Canadian politician in the 20th century.Low was born in Cardston, Alberta, and was a farmer, school teacher and school principal. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1935 provincial that swept the Social Credit Party of Alberta to power...
, who became national party leader in 1944 and himself made anti-Semitic statements alleging a conspiracy of Jewish bankers, nevertheless said in private correspondence that Jaques "considered himself above party discipline and [...] absent[ed] himself from all caucuses". Toward the end of his life, Jaques's writings were banned from the official Social Credit party journal.
Jaques died of a heart attack in early 1949.