Nelson Clarke (1914 – 1982) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. Clarke was born in Regina,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

in 1914.Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations.
Nelson Clarke Memorial - 1982
' Clarke studied at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. During his student days he edited ''

The Sheaf ''The Sheaf'' is a student-run newspaper serving the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan since 1912. A new issue comes out every Thursday with approximately 3,000 copies per issue. ''The Sheaf'' is a student-run non-profit org ...

'', the university newspaper, as well as working for the Canadian National Railway. He joined the Communist Party of Canada and became a party organizer in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

. With the

popular front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...

policy in place, Clarke and other communists joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. Clarke was elected to the CCF Saskatchewan Provincial Council at the 1936 provincial convention. Within the CCF he was part of the 'Saskatoon group' along with Minerva Cooper and Harold Miller. He became the youngest person to be elected to the

Saskatoon City Council Saskatoon City Council is the governing body of Saskatoon, the largest city in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered ...

. Clarke was later expelled from the CCF due to his Communist Party membership. As the Communist Party was banned after Canada's entry into World War II (specifically due to the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that enabled those powers to partition Poland between them. The pact was signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ri ...

), Clarke became a leader of its new front organization, 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 ...

. He contested the

1944 Saskatchewan general election The 1944 Saskatchewan general election was held on June 15, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. The election was held six years after the previous election. There is normally a five-year limit on the lifespan of ...

as a LPP candidate in the Saskatoon City riding. He headed the LPP Saskatchewan provincial organization during 1945–1947. He contested the 1953 Canadian federal election from the

Moose Jaw—Lake Centre Moose Jaw—Lake Centre was a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1953 to 1968 and from 1988 to 1997. This riding was created in 1953 from parts of Lake Centre, Moose J ...

riding. At the 1956 National Convention of the LPP, he was elected to the National Executive Committee of the party. In the internal wrangles of the LPP, he belonged to the

Tim Buck Timothy Buck (January 6, 1891 – March 11, 1973) was the general secretary of the Communist Party of Canada (known as the Labor-Progressive Party from 1943 to 1959) from 1929 until 1962. Together with Ernst Thälmann of Germany, Maurice T ...

-led majority wing. Clarke shifted to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in the late 1950s, on instruction from the Communist Party. He served as the editor of the ''

Canadian Tribune The Communist Party of Canada (french: Parti communiste du Canada) is a federal political party in Canada, founded in 1921 under conditions of illegality. Although it does not currently have any parliamentary representation, the party's can ...

'', the weekly party organ. In 1972 he contested the Toronto mayoral election. In his later years, Clarke became a prominent leader of the Toronto west-end tenants' rights struggles. Clarke died in 1982.Ryerson University.
Phyllis Clarke Memorial Lecture
' His funeral was attended by some one thousand people.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Nelson 1914 births 1982 deaths Communist Party of Canada politicians