The CCF and Canada's Socialist Streak

Damian John Mccracken

doi:10.24908/fede.v20i1.13154

Abstract

In the early 20th Century Canada saw the rise of a prominent socialist movement led by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). The CCF's influence on Canadian politics was essential to the creation of Canada's modern political ideology, which can be described as reform liberal. This ideology took hold due to the pressure that the CCF exerted on the two major federal parties, which could both be characterized as classical liberal. Due to the settlement pattern of the prairies and the actions of the federal government in response to the Great Depression, the CCF was able to secure a strong support base that propelled it to federal politics and allowed it to form a provincial government in Saskatchewan. Though it never formed a federal government, the CCF pushed for old age pension, reforms of corporate taxation, and Medicare. As a provincial actor and a "third force" upon the two ruling federal parties, the CCF and its successor the New Democratic Party’s contributions to Canadian identity and policy are beyond dispute.

Highlights

During the 20th Century, Canada saw the emergence of a powerful force, spurred on by the unsatiated desire of working-class people for change, which pushed Canadian political identity leftwards and aided in the move towards a larger state
This force was prairie-born socialism, and its power was manifested in a new political party – the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), whose branches garnered national attention federally and created a government provincially
It would eventually evolve into the New Democratic Party (NDP), which still serves as one of Canada’s three major federal political parties

Summary

Introduction

During the 20th Century, Canada saw the emergence of a powerful force, spurred on by the unsatiated desire of working-class people for change, which pushed Canadian political identity leftwards and aided in the move towards a larger state. This force was prairie-born socialism, and its power was manifested in a new political party – the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), whose branches garnered national attention federally and created a government provincially.

Results

Conclusion