| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
It was formed in the mid-1930s, shortly after William Aberhart's supporters formed a Social Credit government in Alberta. While the party never elected many members, it maintained a presence in the provincial legislature for most of the period from 1936 to 1973.
The Social Credit Party ran 19 candidates in the provincial election of 1936 , five of whom were elected. It did not have a leader during the election, but chose Stanley Fox to lead the parliamentary group shortly thereafter. During this period, the party supported the monetary reforms of Major Douglas, which Aberhart had been promoting in Alberta for several years.
The 1936 election produced a minority government, with 23 Liberal-Progressives, 16 Conservatives, 7 Independent Labour Party members, the 5 Social Crediters and 4 others. After early talks for a Liberal-Progressive/Conservative coalition broke down, the Social Crediters made a surprise offer to keep the outgoing Liberal-Progressive government of John Bracken in power. Some party members may have hoped for a formal coalition, but this came to nothing and the party supported the government from the outside for the next four years.
Fox stepped down as party leader in 1937Events January January 1 Anastasio Somoza becomes President of Nicaragua January 11 The first issue of Look magazine goes on sale in the United States. January 19 Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours,, and was replaced by S.E. RogersSydney Ernest Rogers ( November 11, 1888- September 10, 1965) was a Manitoba politician. Between 1937 and 1941, he was the leader of the province's Social Credit Party. Rogers was born on the Isle of Wight in England. He moved to Canada with his family in.
After the start of World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough, Bracken promoted a "non-partisan government" for Manitoba, wherein all four major parties would hold cabinet portfolios in a show of provincial unity. The plan was approved by the other parties, and Social Credit joined the government in late 1940Events January-February January 5 FM radio is demonstrated to the FCC for the first time. January 6 World War II: Mass execution of Poles, committed by Germans in the Poznan, Warthegau. January 12 World War II: Russia bombs cities in Finland. February 2 F. Social Credit MLA Norman Turnbull was sworn in as a Minister without Portfolio on November 4November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. Events 1576 Eighty Years' War: In Belgium, Spain captures Antwerp (after three days the city was nearly destroyed). 1612 Moscow China Town tak, 1940Events January-February January 5 FM radio is demonstrated to the FCC for the first time. January 6 World War II: Mass execution of Poles, committed by Germans in the Poznan, Warthegau. January 12 World War II: Russia bombs cities in Finland. February 2 F, and served in this capacity until February 14February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 320 days remaining, 321 in leap years. Events 1014 Pope Benedict VIII recognizes Henry of Bavaria as King of Germany. 1076 Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Em, 1946Events January January 4 Theodore Schurch becomes the last person to be executed for offences committed under the Treachery Act of 1940 January 7 Allied recognize Austrian republic with 1937 borders the country is divided into four occupation zones Januar.
The decision to join government caused a split in the party. In the election of 1941 , several Social Credit candidates ran in opposition to the coalition, while others supported it. This division marginalized the party among the electorate, and only three Social Credit candidates were elected: Fox, Turnbull and Rogers (all government supporters).
The party does not seem to have had a leader in the parliament which followed, and in fact became little more than an appendage of the Liberal-Conservative coalition as the 1940s progressed. Fox and Turnbull were re-elected in the 1945 election , but there were only two other candidates who stood for the party in the rest of the province. The party completely lost its coherence as a parliamentary force in the late 1940s, and did not run any candidates in the 1949 election .
The Social Credit Party re-emerged for the election of 1953 : William Bullmore was elected in the ridingThis page refers to a Riding as a unit in local government. For the more usual meaning, see horse and related articles In the British Isles, a riding is a sub-division of a county. The word is a corruption of the Old Norse riding thridhing or thrithing me of Dauphin, and Gilbert Hutton won in Minnedosa . The party was again marginalized in the parliament which followed, however, and none of its candidates were elected in the provincial elections of 1958 and 1959 . Although the Social Credit parties of Alberta and British Columbia had largely abandoned their monetary policies by this time, Bullmore and Hutton continued to promote social credit during their time in parliament.
During the late 1940s and 1950s, the President of the Manitoba Social Credit League was Wilbert James Tinkler. He was the closest that the party had to an official leader in this period; niether Bullmore nor Hutton held an official role in the legislature.
The party received another lease on life in November 1959, when Jacob Froese won a by-election in the riding of Rhineland . Froese remained a member of the legislature until the 1973 election, when he was defeated by a Progressive Conservative candidate.
The party was unable to win any other seats, however, and Froese effectively served as an Independent MLA during his time in parliament -- despite being identified as party leader for most, if not all of the period from 1959 to 1977. Froese was sometimes called the "conscience of parliament", and does not appear to have endorsed his party's original monetary reform views.
The Manitoba Social Credit Party ran five candidates in the 1977 election, all of whom fared poorly. Even Froese was reduced to a fourth-place finish. In the 1981 election, the party announced that it would not run any candidates. Froese was by this time a member of Sidney Green's Progressive Party. The Social Credit Party seems to have dissolved itself shortly thereafter.
See also:
Manitoba political parties