Social credit

Social credit is one .

Beginnings

The Party of the social credit of Canada is a preserving political party and founded in 1935 in . With provincial, it gains the elections of 1935 with 46 % of the votes cast. It preserves the government until 1971. With federal, the party changes name into 1940, for "New democracy". It preserves this name until 1945. The party Nouvelle democracy gains 17 seats in 1940, but any seat in Quebec. In 1945, the party takes again the name of Party of the social credit.

The Sixties

In the Sixties, the party knows serious internal tensions, between the Québécois members, and the anglophone Canadian members of the party. In 1961, Robert Thompson demolishes Réal Caouette during a race with the leadership of the party. The results of the election were never revealed, and Réal Caouette suspecta Robert Thompson to have defrauded the results (Ernest Manning had prevented before the race with the leadership, which it would never accept that a French-speaking catholic is with the head of the party). Thompson names Réal Caouette lieutenant of the social Credit in Quebec.

In 1962, the party is a great success in Quebec. It receives a total of 30 seats for the whole of Canada including 26 in Quebec, with 11 % of the votes cast. The inequality between the number of French-speaking and anglophone deputies created serious tensions within the party, and on September 9, 1963, Réal Caouette leaves the party and melts it Rallying of the creditists. On the 20 Québécois deputies of the social Credit elected with the federal elections of 1963, 13 join Réal Caouette to form the Rallying of the creditists, 5 become independent and 2 join the conservatives. There remained only 4 elected officials who came mainly from Alberta and the Colombia-British. In 1965, the social Credit will make elect only 5 deputies, and 3 left the party in 1967. In 1968, the 2 only deputies of the social Credit lost their seat, and the social Credit was not represented any more at the Parliament.

In 1971, the Rallying creditist joined the social Credit, to form a national political party, whose chief is Réal Caouette, but the party continued to decline.

Decline of the social Credit (1972-1980)

In 1972, the social Credit obtien 15 seats, coming all from Quebec, and 7,1 % of the votes cast with the federal elections.

In 1974, during the election campaign, the electoral machine of the party in Quebec started has to fall of pieces. The chief of the party, Réal Caouette had an accident, and had much evil to speak. When it could it, it centralized its attacks on Party progressist-conservative and on the NPD rather than on the liberals, the principal adversary of the credists in Quebec. Two weeks before the elections, Réal Caouette informs the caucus of the social Credit which it would resign has the autumn. The provincial wing of the party, the Rallying creditist of Quebec, passes from 12 to 2 seats to the French National Assembly to the provincial elections of 1973. To the federal election of 1974, only 11 of the 15 deputies are turned over has the House of Commons.

The decline of the party accelerates in 1976, when Réal Caouette dies. A deputy creditist 32 year old, Andre-Gilles Fortin becomes the new chief of the party. But he dies in 1977, and the son of Réal Caouette, Gilles Caouette becomes chief of the party, but he will die itself in 1978, and it is Charles-Arthur Gauthier who becomes chief of the party, but he leaves the party little before the elections of 1979. It is thus the deputy of a small party to the French National Assembly, it Popular national party, Fabien Roy which becomes temporary chief of the party.

In 1979, the party succeeds in making elect 6 deputies, coming all from Quebec. They obtain 4 % of the votes on a national scale. The chief of the party, Fabien Roy, had made countryside only in Quebec. The conservatives refuse to make alliance with the creditists during the minority government which lasted until 1980. The creditists abtiennent themselves to vote during the vote which aimed at making fall the preserving government. The deputy creditist of Joliette leaves the party to join the conservatives.

In 1980, there are new elections. The electoral case of the party is empty, and the party does not succeed in making elect only one deputy, and in Beauce, the district of Fabien Roy, it is the liberal candidate Norman Lapointe who gains the election. The party manages to obtain only approximately 1 % of the votes on a national scale.

Little time after the elections, Fabien Roy tries to be made re-elect in the district of Frontenac, but it fails by 4 000 votes. Fabien Roy resigns on November 1, 1980. The party never made re-elect of deputy since.

End of the party (1980-1993)

After the resignation of Fabien Roy, the selected party Martin Hattersley in 1981 as temporary chief of the party. Hattersley is a lawyer of, and a former officer in the British army. May 4, 1981, the party names Martin Caya with the bys-election in the district of Lévis. It arrives in 6th position with only 1,1 % of the votes.

August 17, with the bys-election in the district of Quebec, the social Credit names Carl O' Maley, the president of the party candidate in the district. It receives only 0,2 % of the votes.

Hattersley resigns of the party in 1983 because members albertains of the parties are shown of. In June 1983, it is the evangelist Ken Sweigard who is elected chief of the party leaves against 9 votes 5 for Richard Lawrence. A Québécois member of the party, Adrien Lambert only succeeds in having 2 votes. When the votes started, 2 other candidates were in the race, John Turmel, of Ottawa and Elmer Knutson, Edmonton.

John Turmel is suspended race with the leadership, and party. It melts little of time afterwards, it Party of the Christian credit, which becomes it later Free trade party of Canada. Elmer Knutson, as for him, leaves the party to found it Confederation of Region Party, a party which defends the souverainism of the province of the west.

In 1984, at the federal elections, the party introduces 52 candidates, and succeeds in obtaining only 0,13 % of the vote on a national scale.

Sweigard resigns of its post of chief of the party in 1986. The Ontarian evangelist Harvey Lainson is elected with 68 votes against 35 votes for Jim Keegstra. Harvey Lainson is affiliated with no anti-semite group.

In 1987, the party names Andrew Varaday candidate with the bys-election of Hamilton Mountain. It receives 0,4 % of the voices.

With the federal elections of 1988, the party names only 9 candidates. 6 in Quebec, 2 in Ontario and 1 as a Colombia-British. The candidate creditist in British Columbia succeeded in obtaining 1,3 % in its district, a record in the party since 1980. On a national scale, the party succeeds in obtaining only 0,03 % of the voices.

In 1990, the party elects Jen Campbell as chief of the party, and this one re-elects the party "Left the social credit and Christian freedom", and a few times later, the Party of Christian freedom.

A few times later, the party names 2 candidates with the bys-election, and obtains only 96 votes in the 2 added districts. It is the last time that the party introduced candidates.

In 1993, Élections Canada puts a new rule so that the party survives. It needs a minimum of 40 candidates so that the party can take part in the elections. The party presents only 8 of them. The party east dissolves and the 8 candidates became independent.

Today, the party still exists, but does not take part any more in the elections. There exists now under the name of Parti of the social credit of Canada.

Electoral results of the social Credit

(the results do not include itUnion of the voters, candidates independent of the social credit, or it Rallying of the creditists.)

• During the elections of 1965 and 1968, the Québécois candidates presented themselves under the banner of Rallying of the creditists.