Socialist Party of Canada (British Columbia)

The Socialist Party of British Columbia (SPBC) (later Socialist Party of Canada (British Columbia)) was a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada, that merged in 1905 into a national political party, the Socialist Party of Canada (SPC). Two years earlier, the SPBC successfully won seats in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia to oppose the provincial government. The SPC was not successful in winning seats in the Canadian House of Commons.

The Socialist Party of Canada in British Columbia joined the BC Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in 1933.

History

 * see main article First Socialist Party of Canada: 1904-1925

Popularity of, and sympathies towards, revolutionary agendas of the Socialist and Communist political parties in Canada, gained and declined during economic prosperity; as well as during the Cold War against the WWII defense, and imperialism, of Soviet Russia.

Timeline
A chronology of socialist political party origins, activity, and history in the province of British Columbia, Canada


 * 1872, Beginnings of a national state of labour unification, with a regionally popular Trades Union Bill (also published as Trade Union Act), by the Conservative Party of the 1st Canadian Parliament, Dominion Parliament, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,
 * Federal Trades Union Bill removes penalties for being a member of a union, which are capable of striking for improved employment, closing a company, and/or disrupting access to goods and services in Canada.


 * 1898, The first Canadian Socialist League branch and headquarters opened in Montreal, Quebec. Over the next four years, over 60 branches of Canadian Socialist Leagues were opened in Canada.


 * A new branch of the Socialist Labour Party, was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia.


 * 1899, November 23, Thursday, A new socialist organization was formed in Vancouver:


 * On Thursday, the 23rd inst., there was started on Mt. Pleasant an organization to be known as "The Vancouver Socialist Club". There was not a very large attendance but those who were there all fighters and mean business. The objects of the organization are to organize educate and agitate the cause of socialism, and in any matters of public interest the Vancouver Socialist Club propose to be heard from.


 * November 25, Saturday, Link from new Canadian socialist organization to American socialists, Seattle to Vancouver:


 * A Labor Leader
 * Mr. I. Olcovick, president of the Seattle Socialist Trade Union Alliance, paid a flying visit to Mr. W. Maclain of this city on Saturday last. Mr. Olcovick was formerly a captain in the United States army, and it was his company of troops which refused to shoot down striking workmen during the famous railway strike of a few years ago. The soldiers were ordered to shoot by their senior officer, but on Capt. Olcovick’s orders they did not do so. He visited the Socialist organization in this city and was well pleased with the progress being made by the members. He left for Seattle yesterday morning.


 * Trivia and sources of links between Socialist politics in the province British Columbia and US states:
 * During year, the word socialism is included in the title of twenty articles in the New York Times.


 * During year, beginnings of the Union Record newspaper for Seattle Labor politics, and a competing newspaper The Socialist (The New Light) for a Social Democrat Party of Washington state.


 * 1900, June 9, Ninth BC general election resulted in the first provincial representation of socialism in British Columbia, without gaining a seat for a Socialist Party candidate in the 2-year-old British Columbia Parliament Buildings in the capital Victoria. Labour and Socialist candidates finished last of twelve in the electoral district of Vancouver City.


 * William MacClain, 683 votes (also published as 684), 4.46 percent of vote, Vancouver. Nominee of the United Socialist Labour Party and Canadian Socialist League. Supported by the Vancouver Trades and Labour Council. First socialist to contest a British Columbia election.,


 * 1901, Beginnings of the use of the political party title Socialist Party of British Columbia. Provincial branch of the four-year-old national Canadian Socialist League is refounded as the independent Socialist Party of British Columbia with provincial headquarters in Vancouver, BC, western Canada.


 * 1902, New political party formed by members of the Socialist Party of British Columbia as the Revolutionary Socialist Party.


 * 1903, May 8, First issue of the Western Clarion. -combining Canadian Socialist League member Pettipiece's ownership of the Revolutionary Socialist Party's publication The Clarion of Nanaimo, plus Pettipiece's project the Western Socialist of Vancouver, and the Strike Bulletin of the United Brotherhood of Railway Employees. -for socialist and labour politics news.
 * September 8, After the Revolutionary Socialist Party rejoins the Socialist Party of British Columbia, RSP political agenda replaces SPBC agenda at convention.
 * During year, the Socialist Party of British Columbia nominates thirteen candidates for provincial election, including for the electoral district of provincial capital Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
 * October 3, Tenth general election for Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is a first that begins a list of British Columbia general elections including provincial political parties of British Columbia, Canada.
 * Next four years, two Socialists, from a Regional District of Nanaimo electoral area, sit with fifteen Liberals as opposition to provincial government, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.


 * 1904, December 30, 31, Beginnings of the Socialist Party of Canada to unify provincial socialists to gain legislative assembly seats and sit in opposition to the national government of Canada in Ottawa. Fourth annual convention of the Socialist Party of British Columbia. British Columbia socialists comparatively represent socialism the most in Canada.


 * 1905, February 19, First meeting of a national revolutionary Marxist organization in Canada, 7-years after beginnings of a national agenda for the Socialist League in the province Quebec. The first Socialist Party of Canada is formed by the Dominion Executive Committe of the Socialist Party of Canada. By merging the provincial Socialist Party of British Columbia and related groups representing socialists in the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. The revolutionary Socialist Party, with links to manifestos for a national state of workers (workers' state), gains popularity. Socialist Party gains especially with employees of coal mines and railways, and with immigrants of non-English speaking Europe. Notably in the region of Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. 2-year-old Western Clarion newspaper of province BC becomes part of national socialist propaganda in Canada, circulation 4-10,000, published by E.T. Kingsley. 2-years continues of James Hawthornthwaite and Parker Williams with opposition seats in the provincial legislature of BC, for the national party SPC, Canada. Popularity of the national Socialist Party continues in the province BC until the beginnings of losses to a moderate socialist party in 6-years.


 * 1903-1986


 * abbreviations of socialist parties include


 * SPBC: Socialist Party of British Columbia


 * SPC: Socialist Party of Canada (old)


 * SPC: Socialist Party of Canada (new)


 * SPC(BC): Socialist Party of Canada (B.C. section)


 * 1907, February 3, Eleventh general election for Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
 * Next two years, three Socialists, of a Regional District of Nanaimo electoral area and Grandforks (West Kootenay, central BC), sit with thirteen Liberals as opposition to provincial government.
 * Socialist Party of Canada (B.C. section) splits into revolutionary SPCBC and moderate Social Democratic Party of Canada.


 * 1909, November 25, Twelfth general election for Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
 * Next three years, two Socialists, of a Regional District of Nanaimo electoral area, sit with two Liberals as opposition to 30 Conservatives of the provincial government.


 * 1911, Socialist Party of Canada (B.C. section) members joining new Social Democratic Party of Canada is an earliest example of political party reform in British Columbia and Canada.


 * 1912, March 28, Thirteenth general election for Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
 * Next four years, one Socialist and one Social Democrat, from a Regional District of Nanaimo electoral area, sit as opposition to thirty-nine Conservatives and one Independent Conservative of the provincial government.


 * September 16, Beginnings of Vancouver Island Coal Strike, Cumberland, Vancouver Island, province of British Columbia, western Canada.


 * 1913, May 1, Labor Day meeting to begin general strike to shut down all Vancouver Island coal mining, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.


 * Strike-breakers continue mine operations against 3,500 miners, incidents of destruction, violence, rioting, arrests, Vancouver Island.


 * July, Minister of Labour for province of British Columbia visits mine strike, Vancouver Island.


 * August 18, State of provincial military occupation ends strike meeting of 1,200 in town of Nanaimo.


 * End of organized coal mine labor on Vancouver Island, union loss to owners and strikebreakers, British Columbia, Canada.


 * Until WWI, United Mine Workers of America continue strike pay for Vancouver Island miners.


 * Socialist Party loss of 1 seat of representation before strike not regained in next general election of British Columbia.


 * 1914, Next three years, William Arthur Pritchard is editor of the socialist and labour politics newspaper Western Clarion, British Columbia, Canada.


 * 1916, September 14, Fourteenth general election for Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
 * Next four years, eleven sitting in opposition to a provincial Liberal government includes one Independent Socialist, of a Regional District of Nanaimo electoral area, British Columbia, Canada.
 * 13-years ends of revolutionary Socialist Party of Canada sitting in opposition to provincial government and 4-years in opposition to moderate Social Democratic Party of British Columbia, capital Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.


 * 1918, January, British Columbia Federation of Labour forms the Federated Labour Party. Socialists join Federated Labour Party in British Columbia.


 * Fifteen-year-old socialist newspaper, the Western Clarion of the province British Columbia, is closed (banned) by federal government in capital Ottawa, province Ontario, Canada.


 * 1919, May 15 - June 26, Winnipeg General Strike, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
 * June 17, Eight (also published as ten) strike leaders arrested and imprisoned, five are members of the Socialist Party of Canada, Winnipeg.
 * Winnipeg General Strike arises from increasing popularity of a national revolutionary communist party in Canada, and decreasing popularity of a national socialist party in Canada. The arrested SPC leaders change their goal to achieving representation of workers for nationally unified employee management named Labour instead of Socialist.


 * 1920, December 1, Fifteenth general election for Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
 * Next four years, no Socialists sit as opposition to provincial government.


 * Federated Labour Party created by the eighteen-year-old British Columbia Federation of Labour by absorbing the nine-year-old Social Democratic Party of Canada and part of the fifteen-year-old Socialist Party of Canada.


 * 1921, The two-year-old One Big Union (labour representation project of the Socialist Party of Canada) with over 40,000 members reduced by the departure of the more than 20,000 members of the lumber industry union (IWA) of British Columbia.


 * 1924, June 20, Sixteenth general election for Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
 * Next four years, no Socialists sit as opposition to provincial government.


 * 1925, Declining SPC membership, and closing of the Western Clarion after twenty-two years of publishing socialist and labour news.


 * Socialist Party of Canada closes, reduced to small discussion groups in a number of cities.


 * 1926, Independent Labour Party opens as the combined eight-year-old Federated Labour Party and Canadian Labour Party (B.C. section) branches.


 * 1931, June, A second Socialist Party of Canada is re-founded in Winnipeg.


 * 1932, The Independent Labour Party in Vancouver, led by Ernest Winch, changes its name to the ILP (Socialist) and then, in June 1932 re-founds the Socialist Party of Canada (BC Section). It is unrelated to the Winnipeg-based group which starts its own Vancouver local in 1933.
 * July 30 (August 1), Provincial SPC(BC) meets for a national political agenda in western Canada. Socialist and labour party delegates include SPCBC at 13-year-old Western Labour Conference, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Fourteen UAF delegates included in choosing new name for the beginnings of a national socialist-labour party, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. Delegates include nineteen jobless men and women of The Great Depression.


 * 1933 The Socialist Party of Canada (BC Section) merges with the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation to become the British Columbia section of the CCF (beginning of the British Columbia New Democratic Party, BCNDP).
 * August, SPCBC and the CCF (BC) become Associated CCF Clubs. SPC members Ernest Winch and Harold Winch are elected to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly as CCF MLAs.


 * 1935, Another merger of the Socialist Party of Canada with the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation but retains its own organization within the CCF for several years. The CCF eventually becomes the British Columbia New Democratic Party.


 * 1936 SPC supporters dominate the BC CCF's provincial executive and play a crucial role in a split in the CCF that results in the expulsion of moderate CCF leader Robert Connell and the departure of 4 of 7 members CCF MLAs who form the British Columbia Social Constructive Party.


 * 1938 Harold Winch becomes BC CCF leader. He holds the position until 1953.

Other resources

 * University of British Columbia Library, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
 * Malaspina University-College, Political Science list of links for Canadian government, Nanaimo, BC, Canada.