Anti-Catholicism and English Canadian Nationalism
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ANTI-CATHOLICISM AND ENGLISH CANADIAN NATIONALISM “THIS TYPICAL OLD CANADIAN FORM OF RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS HATE”: ANTI-CATHOLICISM AND ENGLISH CANADIAN NATIONALISM, 1905-1965 By KEVIN ANDERSON, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright by Kevin Anderson, 2013 McMaster University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2013) Hamilton, Ontario (History) TITLE: “[T]his typical old Canadian form of racial and religious hate’: Anti-Catholicism and English Canadian Nationalism, 1905-1965 AUTHOR: Kevin Anderson, B.A. (York University) M.A. (York University) SUPERVISOR: Professor Michael Gauvreau NUMBER OF PAGES: ix, 425 ii Abstract This thesis examines the central influence of anti-Catholicism upon the construction of English Canadian nationalism during the first half of the twentieth century. Anti-Catholicism provided an existing rhetorical and ideological tradition and framework within which public figures, intellectuals, Protestant church leaders and other Canadians communicated their diverse visions of an ideal Canada. The study of anti- Catholicism problematizes the rigid separation that many scholars have posited between a conservative ethnic nationalism and a progressive civic nationalism. Often times these very civic values were inextricable from a context of Britishness. Hostility to Catholicism was not limited only to the staunchly Anglophile Conservative party or to fraternal organizations such as the Orange Order; indeed the importance of anti-Catholicism as a component of Canadian nationalism lies in its presence across the political and intellectual spectrum. Catholicism was perceived to inculcate values antithetical to British traditions of freedom and democracy. It was a medieval faith that stunted the “natural” development of its adherents, preventing them from becoming responsible citizens in a modern democracy. The concentration of Catholicism in Quebec further inflamed many in Canada who saw French Canadian Catholics as anachronistic barriers to a united, democratic and modern Canada. iii Acknowledgements McMaster University, the L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship have all provided funding for the research for this project. I would like to thank all of these institutions for allowing me the opportunity to write and complete this study that I have been interested in for seven years. I would also like to thank the Inter-Library Loan Staff at Mills Library for processing all of my various requests so efficiently and working with me personally when there was a hiccup. I originally became interested in this project during the fourth year of my undergraduate studies at York University while taking a class on Canadian political history with Dr. Paul Stevens. Dr. Stevens encouraged me not only to write my first lengthy term paper on anti-Catholicism during the general election of 1896 but also to apply for graduate school. While pursuing my Master’s degree at York University I was supervised by Dr. William Westfall, who helped me further refine my understanding of the relationship of anti-Catholicism to English Canadian national identity. Dr. Westfall also provided an unending supply of encouragement and support for my Major Research Paper and my decision to continue in my graduate studies at McMaster University. While at McMaster University I have received the constant support, both academically and personally, of my supervisor Dr. Michael Gauvreau. This project would not have been possible without his suggestions, his erudition, his seemingly endless patience and his friendship. In particular, my focus on the twentieth century, the selection iv of intellectuals and much of the theoretical framework owe a lot to Dr. Gauvreau’s feedback. In addition I have benefitted greatly from the comments of the members of my committee, Dr. Stephen Heathorn and Dr. Martin Horn. I would like to thank them not only for their time but also for their unique perspective on a project that attempted to move outside of just Canadian history. My external advisor, Dr. Paul Litt, also contributed a keen eye for detail and invaluable commentary for my future studies. Dr. Nancy Christie, who patiently listened to me experiment with my ideas of her own free will, also provided me with important suggestions, constant support and friendship. My comprehensive course supervisors, Dr. Ken Cruikshank and Dr. Nancy Bouchier, also need to be acknowledged as they helped me maintain my enthusiasm for Canadian history during an especially trying period and throughout my time at McMaster. Several colleagues also need to be acknowledged for tolerating my perpetual discussion of anti-Catholicism. I am grateful to Ron Collier, Mark Gulla, John Hillhouse, Nick Longaphy, Devon Stillwell, Jennifer Tunnicliffe, Ryan Vieira and Kate Walker and for always listening to me and keeping me grounded. I am thankful for their friendship and for sharing my passion for history. My family has also provided unquestioned support. I could not have asked for a more generous family, willing to not only read drafts of my thesis, but also to provide welcome distractions. Finally, this project would not have been possible without Catherine Oakleaf. She has not only been essential in the editorial process of my dissertation but in making sure that I stayed focused on my research and did not lose my mind. This study is for her, without whom I would be a less complete person. v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... iv List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... vii Introduction: Understanding Canadian Anti-Catholicism ................................................. 1 Chapter 1: “[D]ispel[ling] the mediaeval darkness”: Disloyalty and Immigration, Anti- Catholicism in Canada, 1905-1929 .................................................................................... 43 Chapter 2: “Protagonists of Democracy”: Fascism, Birth Control and Quebec, Canadian Anti-Catholicism during the Depression ......................................................................... 121 Chapter 3: “[B]onusing [sic] families who have been unwilling to defend their country”: Anti-Catholicism and the Second World War in Canada ................................................ 202 Chapter 4: “[I]t resembles too much the technique practiced by the Kremlin”: (Counter-) Modernity, Totalitarianism and a Policy of Containment, Anti-Catholicism in the Canadian Cold War, 1945-1965 ...................................................................................... 287 Conclusion: “‘[T]he greatest criminal organization outside the Mafia:’” Anti-Catholicism in Post-1960s Canada ....................................................................................................... 373 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 391 vi List of Abbreviations Acadia University Archives: AUA A.R. Kaufman fonds: ARK Arthur Lower fonds: AL Canadian Council of Churches: CCC Canadian Forum: CF Canadian Historical Review: CHR Canadian Protestant Association: CPA Canadian Protestant League: CPL C.E. Silcox fonds: CES Commission on the Church, Nation and World Order: CCNWO Committee on Cooperation in Canadian Citizenship: CCCC Co-operative Commonwealth Federation: CCF Defence of Canada Regulations: DCR Displaced Persons: DPs Donald Creighton fonds: DC Dorothea Palmer fonds: DP Eugene Forsey fonds: EF Eugenics Society of Canada: ESC Evangelical Christian: EC Fellowship for a Christian Social Order: FCSO F.R. Scott fonds: FRS vii George Drew fonds: GD Glenbow Museum Archives: GMA Gospel Witness and Protestant Advocate: GW Guelph Ministerial Association: GMA Harold Innis fonds: HI Inter-Church Committee for Protestant-Roman Catholic Relations: ICC Ku Klux Klan: KKK League of Social Reconstruction: LSR Library and Archives Canada: LAC Military Service Act: MSA Montreal Catholic School Commission: MCSC National Resources Mobilization Act: NRMA New Canadian Service Bureau: NCSB Parents’ Information Bureau: PIB Parti Québécois: PQ Progressive Conservative Party: PC Protestant Action: PA Queen’s Quarterly: QQ Queen’s University Archives: QUA Saturday Night: SN Social Service Council of Canada: SSCC Solon Low fonds: SL viii Springbank Loyal Orange Lodge fonds: SLOL Toronto Bible College: TBC Union Nationale: UN United Church Observer: UCO United Church of Canada Archives: UCA University of Waterloo Archives: UWA Wartime Elections Act: WEA Wartime Information Board: WIB Watson Kirkconnell fonds: WK Willliam Burton Hurd fonds: WBH William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections, McMaster University: MU World Council of Churches: WC ix Ph.D.—K. Anderson; McMaster University—History Introduction: Understanding Canadian Anti-Catholicism In response to criticism of his 1965 lecture, “Church and State,” prominent Canadian historian Arthur Lower stated: “The only point I try to make … is that the individual’s right to decide for himself, not only in religion, but in all other spheres, is the founding principle of Protestantism.