Robert J. Johns
Encyclopedia
Robert J. Johns was a labour organizer in Manitoba
, Canada
. He was a prominent figure in Canada's early movement for the One Big Union.
Johns was a member of the Socialist Party of Canada
, and was a prominent spokesman for the SPC in Winnipeg
during the 1910s. In 1918, he argued that it was futile for labour representatives to seek election to capitalist legislatures, and called for more direct action. The following year, he attended the Western Labour Conference in Calgary, Alberta
, and brought forward a series of resolutions which provided for the creation of the One Big Union in Canada. Later in the year, he participated in the Winnipeg General Strike.
After the strike was suppressed, the various labour parties in the city formed a temporary alliance in the interests of labour unity. Johns, despite his previous comments about electoral politics, agreed to run for the SPC in the Winnipeg constituency in the 1920 provincial election
. At the time, Winnipeg elected ten members via a single transferable ballot. Johns was not a prominent candidate on the united labour list, and finished 40th on the first count with only 52 votes. He was eliminated on the ninth count.
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 a prominent figure in Canada's early movement for the One Big Union.
Johns was a member of the Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada (in Manitoba)
The Socialist Party of Canada was a revolutionary Marxist organization, founded in 1904 as a merger of the Socialist Party of British Columbia and related groups in Manitoba and Ontario, Canada....
, and was a prominent spokesman for the SPC 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...
during the 1910s. In 1918, he argued that it was futile for labour representatives to seek election to capitalist legislatures, and called for more direct action. The following year, he attended the Western Labour Conference in Calgary, 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...
, and brought forward a series of resolutions which provided for the creation of the One Big Union in Canada. Later in the year, he participated in the Winnipeg General Strike.
After the strike was suppressed, the various labour parties in the city formed a temporary alliance in the interests of labour unity. Johns, despite his previous comments about electoral politics, agreed to run for the SPC in the Winnipeg constituency 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:...
. At the time, Winnipeg elected ten members via a single transferable ballot. Johns was not a prominent candidate on the united labour list, and finished 40th on the first count with only 52 votes. He was eliminated on the ninth count.