The ''Canadian Forward'' was the official party organ of the

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, many of whom had left the organisation in May 1907 to form the Social Democratic Party of ...

between 1916 and 1918. It was one of the leading papers of the socialist movement, providing acerbic commentary on the war effort of the First World War, especially

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

. It was edited by

Isaac Bainbridge Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...

and published at 363 Spadina Avenue in Toronto, Ontario. Its historical significance lies in its repression. Bainbridge raised the ire of the Chief Press Censor, Lieutenant Colonel Chambers, who called for its outlawing. After Bainbridge was successfully convicted several times for seditious libel, Chambers eventually had the paper outlawed. However, the paper could not be outlawed until after the December 1917 election, due to political considerations. The simple possession of the ''Canadian Forward'' became illegal following its outlawing in 1918. On 20 December 1918, three Stratford men were convicted of the simple possession of the paper – an item that had been wholly legal prior to the edict of 5 October 1918 – and one man, Arthur Skidmore, was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

See also