Alberta Labour & Social Democracy Alberta Labour History Institute 2016 Calendar R HIST OU OR BO RY A I L N S A S T T I R T R T U U E U U U U U E U B B T T T B B B B B T T T T T L L L E E E L L L L L E E E A A A A A A ALHI Collection Preservation Education January February March January 2016 February 2016 March 2016 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 27 28 29 30 31 31 April May June April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 J u ly August September July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 October November December October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 30 31 Alberta Labour and Social Democracy Alberta’s labour movement and allied progressive 1935, it was wiped out in the Social Credit frenzy that movements were overjoyed with the results of the May swept the province. By that time, the CLP had committed 5, 2015 provincial election in Alberta. A majority NDP to joining the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, a government after 43 years of large Tory majorities national organization of democratic socialists formed in was unexpected and augurs well for working people in 1932 and dedicated to ending the Great Depression while Alberta. Kudos to Rachel Notley, her team of candidates ensuring that the political and economic conditions that and organizers for making it happen. had created it never returned. But the election of a social democratic government in While the CCF, led by printer Elmer Roper, won a Alberta did not happen overnight. The labour movement quarter of all votes cast in the 1944 provincial election, was the chief instigator of almost nine decades of the electoral system turned that huge vote into a mere organizing labour-friendly, social democratic parties in two legislative seats. The party gradually lost support Alberta. It has been involved in both legislative and extra- as a combination of post-war prosperity and the Cold parliamentary movements to create social justice and a War lulled many into believing that the capitalist system better distribution of wealth and power in Alberta and had self-corrected. The labour movement took greater beyond. ownership over social democratic politics by taking the lead in creating the New Democratic Party in 1961, a The province’s social democratic history began with somewhat more moderate version of the CCF. In Alberta, the creation of Labour Representation Committees in oil workers’ trade union leader Neil Reimer became the Calgary and Edmonton in 1917, followed by the creation NDP’s first leader. of an Alberta branch of the Canadian Labour Party (CLP) in 1921, a party launched by the Trades and Labour Growth in electoral support for the NDP proved gradual Congress of Canada. The CLP called for greater state and discontinuous. Though the party won 16 seats in direction of the economy, the introduction of social 1986 and 1989 and formed the Official Opposition, it won insurance programs, and protection of workers’ rights no seats in 1993 and had to gradually rebuild. Labour- to organize. Labour elected four members in 1921, and supported organizations like Public Interest Alberta and one member, Alex Ross, was included by the victorious Friends of Medicare which fought the right-wing Tory United Farmers of Alberta in their Cabinet after that agenda helped to create the atmosphere that allowed New election. Labour went on to win six seats in 1926 but in Democrats to form a government in 2015. Alberta rovincial Arc ives E dmonton labour candidates elected to re resent t e Canadian abour arty 9 2 6 Origins of Social Democracy in Alberta Social democratic parties everywhere have their origins in the oppose conscription during World War One. labour movement. The establishment of a variety of unions After the war, Roper and other union leaders decided to in Alberta before World War One and the creation of labour create a province-wide Canadian Labour Party which advocated councils in the cities and then the Alberta Federation of the gradual nationalization of industry, the introduction Labour in 1912 provided the groundwork for the emergence of of minimum wages, and improved access to workers’ labour political organizations. These included revolutionary compensation along with higher payments, among other organizations like the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) reforms. Though Alberta was still primarily an agricultural and the Communist Party. But most Alberta labour leaders province and the division of seats discriminated heavily against favoured participation within the existing parliamentary system urban residents, four Labour members were elected in 1921: over the revolutionary overthrow of political and economic rule Alex Ross and Fred White in Calgary, William Johnston in capitalists. n 191, printer lmer oper persaded first the Medicine Hat, and Philip Christophers in Rocky Mountain. The Calgary Labour Council and then its Edmonton counterpart first three represented moderate elements in the trade nion to found Labour Representation Leagues that supported movement while Christophers was a radical miner who had independent labour involvement in politics, particularly to been active in the IWW. SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT December 2015 February 2016 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1 2 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 New Year’s Day 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1905 Industrial 27 28 29 30 31 28 29 1966 The Canadian Pension Plan comes Workers of the World into effect founded in Chicago 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1906 Founding meeting of the Edmonton Trades and Labour Council 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 1962 Alberta New Democrats founding provincial convention 24 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 1946 Rand Formula introduced Alberta rovincial Arc ives A 1 3 6 3 4 W illiam Irvine c 1 9 2 0 , one o t e ounders o t e Coo erative Commonwealt ederation Labour’s first participation in government in Alberta When the United Farmers of Alberta formed government in cooperation with the UFA in the legislature and urged party lerta in 191, Premier erert reenfield appointed one of representatives to take a more aggressive stance in favour of the four elected Labour members, stonemason Alex Ross, as policies of nationalization, social programs, and more extensive Minister of Public Works. The UFA and Labour had agreed public works. In the 1926 election, Ross ran as part of a informally during the election not to run in the same seats. aor slate in alar, which was a fiememer seat. hile While the UFA was not especially sensitive to labour’s needs, Fred White placed fourth and socialist Independent Labour its party philosophy called for the inclusion of representatives candidate oert Parn placed fifth, oss placed eihth.