The Social Democratic Party was a social democratic political party 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 ...

founded in 1911 by members of the right wing of the

Socialist Party of Canada The Socialist Party of Canada (SPC) was a political party that existed from 1904 to 1925, led by E. T. Kingsley. It published the socialist newspaper ''Western Clarion''. History Establishment The founding of the Socialist Party of Canada bega ...

, many of whom had left the organisation in May 1907 to form the

Social Democratic Party of British Columbia The Social Democratic Party of British Columbia (SDPBC) was a social democratic organisation established in May 1907 by defecting members of the impossibilist Socialist Party of Canada. Headed by pioneer Canadian socialist Ernest Burns, the SDPBC ...

. These members were dissatisfied with what they saw as that party's rigid, doctrinaire approach. As opposed to the Socialist Party of Canada, the SDP allowed minority language groups ample room for self-determination, which led to a perception that the ethnic groups were more dominant than the overarching SDP. When the authorities cracked down on ethnic groups during the 1918 wave of repression, many of the individual ethnic chapters were shut down. The SDP was based in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, put forward a more moderate and evolutionary socialist position, and had a more positive view of the trade union movement than its rival. The party won seats in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the early 20th century and also won seats in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...

in 1915 and 1920. The SDP's official platform, as put forth in their newspaper '' Canadian Forward'':

As a means of preparing the minds of the working class for the inauguration of the Co-operative commonwealth, the Social-Democratic Party of Canada will support any measure that will tend to better conditions under capitalism, such as:
(1) Reduction of hours of labor.
(2) The elimination of child labor.
(3) Universal adult suffrage without distinction of sex or regard to property qualifications.
(4) The Initiative, Referendum, and right of Recall.

It was perceived as being a radical leftist group by the federal government, especially during the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The Canadian Director of Public Safety identified them as the publisher of the largest amount of anti-war propaganda during the war. Isaac Bainbridge, the editor of the ''Canadian Forward'' and Dominion Secretary of the SDP, was imprisoned on numerous occasions for the "seditious material." In 1918, the SDP was briefly outlawed by an Order-in-Council of the Borden administration, but that was quickly rectified shortly thereafter. However, its newspaper Canadian Forward was outlawed permanently, which persecution helped to contribute to the party's downfall. The SDP joined the Federated Labour Party of Canada in 1920 and its successors such as the Independent Labour Party. Many former members of the SDP joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation when it was formed in 1932.

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