The McCarthyites were a short-lived anti-

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and anti-

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

political movement which contested the 23 June 1896 federal election in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The McCarthyite movement and the

Patrons of Industry The Patrons of Industry in Canada were based on the Patrons of Industry of Michigan that had formed in 1889. It was dedicated to upholding and encouraging the moral, social, intellectual, political and financial situation of farmers and to preserve ...

represented the first challenge to the

two-party system A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referre ...

in Canada.

Dalton McCarthy Dalton McCarthy (October 10, 1836 – May 11, 1898), or D'Alton McCarthy, was a Canadian lawyer and parliamentarian. He was the leader of the "Orange" or Protestant Irish, and fiercely fought against Irish Catholics as well as the French C ...

was the only "McCarthyite" to win election (he contested and won two seats), and the movement disbanded in 1898, not long after his death.

Formation and political platform

Dalton McCarthy, an Irish-born lawyer, had been elected as a

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 i ...

Simcoe North Simcoe North (french: Simcoe-Nord) is a federal electoral district in central Ontario, Canada. It was established as a federal riding in 1867. Demographics :''According to the Canada 2011 Census''; 2013 representation'' Ethnic groups: 87.8% ...

in the 1872 election, and was re-elected in every subsequent election. Seen as a protégé of Prime Minister

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

and "the 'brains of the party'", McCarthy was seen as "a logical successor to leadership". However, in 1891, McCarthy left the Conservative Party after disagreements with its leader, and ran and won as an independent. McCarthy was notoriously anti-

and anti-

. He was a founder of the Canadian branch of the

Imperial Federation League The Imperial Federation League was a 19th-century organisation which aimed to promote the reorganisation of the British Empire into an Imperial Federation, similarly to the way the majority of British North America confederated into the Dominion ...

, a group that sought to unite Britain and its colonies and dominions in a trans-global federation. McCarthy also appears to have been associated with the Equal Rights Party, although did not run under its banner in the 1891 election.

The 1896 election

In 1896, McCarthy and nine of his supporters presented themselves for election in ridings in

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 Ca ...

and

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. At the time, candidates could present their names for election in more than one riding at a time. McCarthy sought election and won in both Simcoe North, Ontario, and

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name * Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

, Manitoba. Having won re-election in Simcoe North, McCarthy resigned the Brandon seat. McCarthyite candidates polled second in three other ridings, Lanark South, Hastings North and

Durham East Durham East was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It was created by the Briti ...

, scoring over 40% of the vote in each case. In

Muskoka and Parry Sound Muskoka and Parry Sound was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1883 to 1904. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created from parts of Algoma and Muskoka ridings. It consisted ...

, the McCartyite candidate won 20.1% of the vote in a three-way race. In the other ridings, the McCarthyites did poorly, winning about 10% of the vote or less. Across all ridings, McCarthyites collected a total of 12,861 votes, or 28.1% of the popular vote. McCarthy and his candidates were supported by the

Protestant Protective Association The Protestant Protective Association was an anti-Catholic group in the 1890s based in Ontario, Canada, associated with the Orange Order. Originally a spinoff of the American group the American Protective Association, it became independent in 1892. ...

, though McCarthy publicly repudiated the support, saying his League "had 'nothing whatever to do'" with an internal PPA policy to nominate their members as McCarthyite candidates.

Post-election

As the only elected McCarthyite, Dalton McCarthy forged an alliance with

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 ...

's Liberals. This alliance began during the election, as the McCarthyites made arrangements with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and the

in some Southern Ontario ridings so as not to split the anti-Conservative vote. He would likely have been appointed to cabinet had he not died following a carriage accident in early 1898. His son,

Leighton McCarthy Leighton Goldie McCarthy, (December 15, 1869 – October 3, 1952) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, businessman and diplomat. Life and career Born in Walkerton, Ontario, McCarthy was called to the Ontario Bar in 1892. He was elected to th ...

, won a by-election to succeed his father. His followers attempted to revive the party and pursue McCarthy's anti-Catholic theme, but were unsuccessful. The party was formally disbanded in the same year.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Parliament of Canada History of the Federal Electoral Ridings since 1867
Federal political parties in Canada

Formation and political platform

The 1896 election

Post-election

See also

References

External links