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The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manitoba.1 History
1.1 Origins
The origins of the Progressive Party can, in many ways, be traced to the politics of compromise under Laurier. The number one issue to western farmers was free trade. Because of John A. Macdonald's National Policy the farmers had to pay higher prices for equipment and had to sell the produce for less. But neither of the major parties supported free trade. The west at the turn of the century began to receive an influx of radical political ideas. From the United States came Progressivism and the Non-Partisan League. From Britain the new immigrants brought Fabian socialism. This mix of ideology and discontent led to much discussion of forming an independent party. The main venue for this was the Grain Growers Guide and the first organizations of agricultural protest were the farmers’ organizations such as the Manitoba Grain Growers Association and the United Farmers of Alberta.
They were founded in 1920 by Thomas Crerar, a former Minister of Agriculture in the Unionist government of Robert Borden, who quit the cabinet in 1919 because the budget of Thomas White did not pay sufficient attention to farmers' issues. Crerar became the first leader of the Progressives, and led them to win 65 seats in the 1921 general election.
1.2 Elected to Office
Traditionally the Progressive Party has been viewed as a western protest party, but some now contest this. It is certain that its core of support was western. The main progressive publication was the Grain Growers Guide and the first organizations of protest were the farmers’ organizations such as the Grain Growers of Manitoba and the United Farmers of Alberta. But as the 1921 election shows the progressives began life as a truly national movement. Of the 81 seats in Ontario the Progressives won 24 of them, and at the time this was viewed as a disappointment. One can certainly think of a more recent western based party that would have been overwhelmingly delighted to have won 24 seats in Ontario. In the MaritimesThe Maritimes or Maritime provinces are a region of Canada on the Atlantic coast, consisting of the three provinces New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes are located northeast of New England, southeast of Quebec's Gaspe penins as well the Progressives received significant support. This led to only one seat in New BrunswickNew Brunswick Nouveau-Brunswick ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope was restored CapitalLargest city Fredericton Saint John Area Total % fresh water 11th largest(8th lgst prov. 72 908 km² 2. 0% Population Total (2001) Density Ranked 8th 75, but on the provincial level in both Nova ScotiaNova Scotia ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest City Halifax Area Total % fresh water 12th largest(9th lgst prov. 55 284 km² 3. 5% Population Total (2001) Density Ranked and New Brunswick farmers parties became significant presences.
Traditionally in Canadian politics the way to win a national mandate is to be the party that offends the fewest regions. By taking a very decentralized approach the Progressive Party copied the method used in the United States to build a national party in congress. Crerar was not the national leader of the party, rather, he was only the parliamentary leader. His Canada-wide speaking tour was very leaderly, and the media regarded him as the leading spokesman of the party he had no official position out side parliament. His role was very much like that of Tom DaschleThomas Andrew Daschle (born December 9, 1947), known as Tom Daschle is the current Senate Minority Leader in the United States Senate until his term ends in 2005. A Democrat, he was defeated on November 2, 2004 by the Republican candidate, John Thune, in in the 2002 American election or Newt GingrichNewton Leroy Gingrich (born June 17, 1943) is an American politician who is best-known as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. In 1995 he was named Time Magazine's Man of the Year. He was born Newton McPherson in Ha in 19941994 is a common year starting on Saturday, and was designated the International year of the Family''. Events January events January 1 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect January 6 Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an in the United States. The party also had no national organization relying instead on the Canadian Council of Agriculture to provide some degree of national structure. Each candidate was free to any planks they desired. Support for the new national policy was one common denominator, but even this wasn’t universal. The progressives can barely even be called a party, and many have argued that the term progressive movement is perhaps far more apt.
After the election the Liberals formed a minority government. The Progressives were divided over what to do, however. A significant group of ex-Liberals, including Crerar, supported forming a coalition government with the Liberals. This was resisted both by MontrealMontreal (/mVn. tri"Al/ in English, /mO~. re"al/ in French) is the largest city in the province of Quebec, Canada, where it also constitutes an administrative region. It is Canada's second most populous city after Toronto ( Statistics Canada), and the sec interests in the Liberal party and the radical Progressives. The radical progressives, who were followers of Henry Wise Wood of the UFA supported a very different strategy. They wished to remain a decentralized party with each member simply representing their constituents. What both groups agreed upon was refusing the position of Official Opposition and this was passed on to the Tories.
