Abraham Albert Heaps (December 24, 1885 – April 4, 1954), known as A. A. Heaps, was a Canadian politician and

labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

leader. A strong labourite, he served as MP for Winnipeg North from 1925 to 1940. Born in Leeds, England, Heaps emigrated 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 Labour alderman on the Winnipeg City Council from 1917 to 1925. He ran for the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

as a

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate in 1923 in the riding of Winnipeg North but was defeated. He was elected in the 1925 election and joined J. S. Woodsworth as the only Labour MPs in Parliament. The Liberal government of William Lyon Mackenzie King was elected with a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

. Heaps and Woodsworth agreed to support the Liberals in exchange for the government creating Canada's first old age pension. Heaps and Woodsworth joined other left-wing MPs to form the

Ginger Group The Ginger Group was not a formal political party in Canada, but a faction of radical Progressive and Labour Members of Parliament who advocated socialism. The term ginger group also refers to a small group with new, radical ideas trying to act ...

. He was a founding member of the

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialism, democra ...

in 1932, and was a charter member of the CCF's

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

. One of the few Jews in Parliament, Heaps pushed the government to allow Jewish refugees from the Nazis into Canada, but with little success.Troper and Abella, None Is Too Many He was defeated in the 1940 election by Charles Stephen Booth from the Liberal Party due to a strong candidacy in Winnipeg North by the Communist Party's candidate. Heaps died in England while visiting family and was buried in his birthplace of Leeds. His son, Leo Heaps, wrote a 1984 biography about him called ''The Rebel in the House: The Life and Times of A.A. Heaps MP'' and was an unsuccessful

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

candidate in the 1979 federal election for the riding of Eglinton—Lawrence. His grandson, Adrian Heaps, was elected to Toronto City Council in 2006.

References

Abraham Heaps fonds, Library and Archives Canada
* Heaps, Leo. ''The Rebel in the House: the Life and Times of A.A. Heaps, M mber of CanadianP rliament'' London: Niccolo Publishing Co., 1970. 168 p. Without ISBN

External links

*
Abraham Albert Heaps
at The Canadian Encyclopedia
Manitoba Heritage Council Commemorative Plaques
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heaps, Abraham 1885 births 1954 deaths Canadian people of English-Jewish descent Canadian socialists Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MPs English emigrants to Canada Ginger Group MPs Jewish Canadian politicians Labour MPs in Canada Labour candidates in the 1926 Canadian federal election Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Manitoba People from Leeds Winnipeg city councillors Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) People of the Winnipeg general strike