The Liberal-Labour banner has been used several times by candidates in Canadian elections:
In the early twentieth century when the idea of
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
ists running for elected office under their own banner gained ground, several
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
candidates on the provincial or federal level were elected on a Labour ticket. Once elected, in the absence of an organized
Labour Party, an MP elected on 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 ...
ticket would often support, or join, the
Liberal Party of Canada and would often be described as "Liberal-Labour"
At other times, the Liberal Party, particularly under
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A L ...
would try to co-opt the trade union vote by running Liberal supporters as Labour or Liberal-Labour candidates. These would be official or unofficial "fusion" candidates who would run in the absence of a straight Liberal candidate.
*
Ralph Smith was a miner who won election to the
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 1898 on a Liberal-Labour platform. In the
1900 federal election he was elected to the
House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal-Labour candidate defeating the official Liberal candidate. He immediately joined the Liberal Party
caucus of Sir
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
and subsequently ran and won re-election as a straight Liberal against
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
and
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
opponents.
*
Alphonse Verville was president of the
Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
The Trades and Labor Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1886 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor. It was the third attempt at a nat ...
when he was elected as a Labour candidate in a 1906
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
in
Maisonneuve. Verville was elected by defeating a Liberal opponent, however, in subsequent elections the Liberals ran no candidate in Maisonneuve and threw their support to Verville who would generally support Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberals in the House of Commons of Canada. In the
1917 federal election on
conscription, Verville ran and was re-elected as a
Laurier-Liberal.
*
Malcolm Lang, who was elected as a
Labour Party of Canada
There have been various groups in Canada that have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party, or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s. These were usually local or provincial groups using the Labour Pa ...
Member of Parliament in the
1926 federal election, failed to get re-elected as "Liberal-Labour" in the north-eastern Ontario
riding of Timiskaming South in the
1930 federal election.
*
Humphrey Mitchell was elected as a Labour MP in a 1931 by-election in
Hamilton East. He was unopposed by the Mackenzie King Liberals and generally voted with the Liberal caucus while having a poor relationship with other Labour MPs in parliament. He refused to join the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation when it was formed the next year and, in the
1935 federal election ran for re-election as a Labour MP. The Liberals supported Mitchell unofficially and did not run a candidate against him. The CCF, however, did stand a candidate in Hamilton East resulting in the labour vote being split and Mitchell's defeat at the hands of a Conservative in a year where the Conservatives lost dozens of seats. Mitchell returned to parliament during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as a Liberal MP and
cabinet minister.
*From 1949 to 1965,
William Moore Benidickson
William Moore Benidickson, (April 8, 1911 – April 1, 1985) was a Canadian politician. He was the Liberal-Labour Member of Parliament for Kenora—Rainy River for over twenty years.
Born in Manitoba of Icelandic stock, Benidickson served in ...
represented the north-western Ontario riding of
Kenora-Rainy River as a Liberal-Labour
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
. Benidickson was elected as a Liberal MP in the
1945 federal election, but ran subsequently as "Liberal-Labour" as the result of an informal electoral pact between the
Labor-Progressive Party
The Labor-Progressive Party (french: Parti ouvrier-progressiste) was the legal front of the Communist Party of Canada from 1943 to 1959.
Origins and initial success
In the 1940 federal election, the Communist Party led a popular front in se ...
(i.e., the
Communist Party of Canada) and the
Liberal Party of Canada (see also Ontario legislature, below.)
Benidickson was succeeded in that riding by
John Mercer Reid
John Mercer Reid, (8 February 1937 – 25 August 2022) was a Canadian politician and an Information Commissioner of Canada who served as president of the Canadian Nuclear Association.
History
He was first elected to the House of Commons of ...
, who was elected as a "Liberal" in 1965 but then sat as a "Liberal-Labour" MP from the
1968 federal election until the
1972 federal election, when he changed his designation back to "Liberal". In the
1988 federal election, Liberal candidate
Bob Nault identified himself as "Liberal-Labour" on some of his literature (particularly those distributed at plant gates) in his successful attempt to defeat NDP incumbent
John Parry who had defeated Reid in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
. Nault was officially listed as a straight Liberal on the ballot and in his official designation when he became an MP.
*In the
1935 federal election, three candidates ran in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
ridings, placing last in each case, and drawing no more than 1.5% of the vote in each case. In all three ridings, at least one other candidate ran as a "Liberal".
*In the
1945 federal election, one candidate ran as a "Liberal Labour" candidate in the Quebec riding of Mercier, placing last in a field of seven, with 345 votes, 1.0% of the total.
*In the
1949 federal election, one candidate ran as a "Liberal Labour" candidate in the Quebec riding of Stanstead, placing last in a field of four, with 433 votes, 2.6% of the total.
Liberal Labour Party
The Liberal Labour Party name has been used twice in Canadian elections, though it may have been just a convenient label for those two candidates rather than an organized political party.
In the
1926 federal election, Alexander Jarvis McComber, a barrister, placed second in a field of three candidates in the north-western
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
riding of Port Arthur – Thunder Bay, winning 2,990 votes, 26% of the total. No candidate ran as a "Liberal", but the third place candidate ran as a "Labour" candidate.
In a 22 March 1954 by-election in Verdun,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Hervé Ferland, an advertising agent, placed fifth in a field of seven candidates, which included one "Liberal" and two "Independent Liberals". He won 2,180 votes, 8.7% of the total.
Liberal Labour Progressive
In the
1926 federal election, the only opponent of the victorious
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
candidate in the Algoma West
riding in northern
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
ran as a Liberal Labour Progressive candidate. Albert Ernest Whytall won 4,187 votes, or 37% of the total.
Ontario legislature
In the
1945 Ontario provincial election, the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
(running as the
Labor-Progressive Party
The Labor-Progressive Party (french: Parti ouvrier-progressiste) was the legal front of the Communist Party of Canada from 1943 to 1959.
Origins and initial success
In the 1940 federal election, the Communist Party led a popular front in se ...
) decided to run six candidates jointly with the
Liberal Party of Ontario
The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser (Ontario MPP), John Fraser since August 2022.
The party esp ...
under
Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Frederick Hepburn (August 12, 1896 – January 5, 1953) was the 11th premier of Ontario, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37. He was the only Ontario Liberal Party leader in the 20th cent ...
. This was an attempt to marginalise the
Ontario Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section) – The Farmer-Labor Party of Ontario, or more commonly known as the Ontario CCF, was a democratic socialism, democratic socialist provincial political party in Ontario that existed from 19 ...
in elections to the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
The
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) ...
(UAW) participated in the effort and ran three Liberal-Labour candidates against CCF incumbents in
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
including
George Burt, Canadian director of the UAW,
Alexander A. Parent, a Communist and president of UAW Local 195. Parent was elected in Essex North but Burt and Reaume were both defeated, though vote-splitting also resulted in the defeat of two CCF incumbent
Another unsuccessful "Liberal-Labour" candidate was
Arthur Reaume,
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Windsor, who had been a long time
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
and had run for
George Drew's
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...
in
1943 provincial election, but broke with his party to support UAW workers at Ford in their fight for the
Rand Formula. Reaume ran again as "Liberal-Labour" in the
1948 provincial election, without success, and was finally elected in the
1951 provincial election as a "Liberal".
The other two Liberal-Labour MPPs elected were
James Newman of
Rainy River and
Joseph Meinzinger of
Waterloo North
Waterloo North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which entitled each of north an ...
, defeating CCF incumbents
George Lockhart and
John Henry Cook, respectively. Of the three, only Newman would be re-elected in the
1948 provincial election.
The decision by the Liberals, UAW members and Communists to collaborate was ironic given Hepburn's vociferous opposition to both Communism and the
Congress of Industrial Organizations during his term as
Premier of Ontario. Two pro-labour MPPs,
David Croll
David Arnold Croll, (born Davud Avrum Croll; March 12, 1900 – June 11, 1991) was a Canadian politician. He served as the mayor of Windsor, Ontario twice. He entered provincial politics in the 1930s, and served as minister of public works an ...
and
Arthur Roebuck, had resigned from Hepburn's
cabinet in 1937 to protect to his anti-labour actions during a UAW strike in
Oshawa, Ontario
Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Gr ...
. (George Burt was Treasurer of the UAW's Oshawa local at the time of the strike.)
The ridings of Kenora and Rainy River (separate ridings provincially, a single riding federally) continued to nominate "Liberal-Labour" candidates to both the
Ontario legislature and the House of Commons of Canada for decades.
Kenora had previously elected
Peter Heenan
Peter Heenan, (February 19, 1875 – May 12, 1948) was a Canadian union leader and politician, and also served as a cabinet minister at the federal and provincial levels.
Early life
Born in Tullaree, near Newcastle, County Down, Irelan ...
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 ...
representative in the
1919 election. Heenan remained one of only four Labour MLAs (as MPPs were still known) re-elected in the
1923 election and was defeated in the
1926 election. He then entered federal politics becoming a federal Liberal and joining
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A L ...
's
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
as
Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...
. In
1929
This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
Earl Hutchinson
Earl Hutchinson (October 23, 1888 – August 17, 1976) was a railroad engineer and political figure from Ontario, Canada. He represented Kenora in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Labour member from 1929 to 1934. He was re-electe ...
recaptured Kenora as a Labour MLA. He was re-elected in
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
but was persuaded to resign a few weeks later in order to allow Heenan ran in the subsequent
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
, this time as a Liberal. Heenan was elected and joined
Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Frederick Hepburn (August 12, 1896 – January 5, 1953) was the 11th premier of Ontario, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37. He was the only Ontario Liberal Party leader in the 20th cent ...
's
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
serving as Minister of Mines and Forests (1934-1941) and Minister of Labour (1941-1943) while Hutchinson was appointed vice-chairman of the Workmen's Compensation Board weeks after his resignation. Heenan was later defeated by
William Docker 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 the
1943 provincial election in which the Liberals were reduced them to
third party
Third party may refer to:
Business
* Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller
* Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party
* Third-party insurance, such as a Veh ...
status. Subsequently, the Liberals ran
Albert Wren as a "Liberal-Labour" candidate unsuccessfully in the
1948 election before his victory in the
1951 election.
*
Albert Wren of Kenora was the longest serving "Liberal-Labour" MPP, sitting in the Ontario legislature from 1951 until his death in 1961. He ran for the
leadership
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...
of the
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser (Ontario MPP), John Fraser since August 2022.
The party esp ...
in 1954, coming in second, and again in 1958, coming in last.
Robert Gibson succeeded Wren as the "Liberal-Labour" MPP for Kenora and served until just prior to the
1967 provincial election.
*
T. Patrick Reid was elected "Liberal-Labour" MPP for the neighbouring riding of
Rainy River in the
1967 provincial election He ran as a "Liberal" in the
1971 provincial election, and
1975 provincial election. He reverted to the "Liberal-Labour" label for the
1977 provincial election, and returned to being a "Liberal" MPP in
1981 provincial election, and left politics in 1984.
More recently, Liberals in Kenora such as former
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
Bob Nault have occasionally used the "Liberal-Labour" tag on some of their campaign literature (such as that handed out at plant gates) though they are listed as straight Liberals on the ballot.
See also
*
Labour candidates and parties in Canada
There have been various groups in Canada that have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party, or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s. These were usually local or provincial groups using the Labour Pa ...
*
List of Labour MPs (Canada)
*
List of Canadian political parties
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby uni ...
Parliament of Canada History of the Federal Electoral Ridings since 1867
References
{{reflist
Federal political parties in Canada
Defunct provincial political parties in Ontario
Labour history of Canada
Labour parties in Canada