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New
Leadership | Maritimes
Rights Movement |
Progressive Movement
| King Byng Affair |
The Economy Booms |
A New Culture |
Immigration |
Stocks
The battle between the farmers of the
country and the entrenched business interests of Ontario
and Quebec had been an ongoing one ever since the first
rail lines were pushed across the prairies and
immigrants began to arrive in the west to settle and
farm the land. High tariff rates had supported Canadian
industry but made supplies, farm equipment and many
manufactured goods expensive for the farmers. The
railways had also been able to charge high shipping
rates for getting the farmers produce to market which
meant that in order to stay competitive the farmers were
forces to accept lower prices.
The Liberals and
Conservatives had continually supported the idea of
better prices for farmers, tariff reductions and better
shipping rates but rarely did much about it. The First
World War had created a huge demand for Canadian wheat
but by the end of the war with government spending
dropping and normalization of affairs taking hold, the
demand for wheat weakened and the farmers were thrown
into a difficult situation.
In 1919 the "New
National Policy" was published by the Canadian Council
of Agriculture and this stimulated direct political
action by the farmers. In 1919the United Farmers of
Ontario was formed and ran in the provincial election
against a strong incumbent Conservative government. The
U.F.O. won a majority of seats and took power with their
leader E.C. Drury as Premier.
The Canadian Council
of Agriculture called a national convention in 1920 to
organize and prepare for a national election under the
banner of the National Progressive Party. They chose T.A.
Crerar as their leader and prepared for the 1921
election. Mackenzie King was convinced that the farmers
and former Liberals that constituted the majority of he
new Progressive Party could be won over to the Liberal
part due to their mutual political philosophies. King
even went so far as to suggest that they not run against
each other in certain ridings but should support each
others candidates in order to defeat the Conservatives.
With in a short period, several
provincial organizations where springing up in support
of the Progressives. The United Farmers of Alberta won
the 1923 provincial election, the United Farmers of
Manitoba the election of 1922 and the farmers movement
became deeply entrenched in the western provinces.
The 1921 Federal
election changed the Canadian political landscape when
the Liberals won 118 seats, the Conservatives 50 seats
and the Progressives came second with 65 seats. King's
strategy of absorbing, wooing, working with, and
eventually swallowing the Progressive movement was aided
by a high level of prosperity between 1921 and 1928 and
the blurring of differences between the Progressives and
the Liberals. By the end of the decade they had
generally disappeared as a political force but many of
their ideas and ambitions remained with the Liberal
Party and would reappear again in he 30's as new parties
were formed during the Great Depression. |
