The Western Canada Labor Conference held at Calgary, Alberta, March 13, 14, 15, 1919 was a groundbreaking meeting of labour leaders from across the western Canada. At a time when the Russian Revolution was shaking the foundations of traditional politics in Europe, these labour leaders met in Calgary, at the time a hotbed of labour radicalism.
Besides discussing labour issues, the new One Big Union and the use of strikes, even general strikes, the delegates also argued political issues and reforms of the existing - and undemocratic - voting and government systems that Canada workers suffered under.
Here are some of the more political stands the delegates discussed and carried by vote.
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RESOLUTION No. 5 Proletarian Dictatorship
[Support for government by "representatives from industries," instead of "representatives from geographical districts"]
Delegate Kavanagh (of the BC Federation of Labor) (chairman of committee)
Whereas holding the belief in the ultimate supremacy of the working class in matters economic and political, and that the light of modern developments have proved that the legitimate aspirations of the labor movement are repeatedly obstructed by the existing political forms, clearly showing the capitalistic nature of the parliamentary machinery,
This convention expresses its open conviction that the system of industrial soviet control by selection of representatives from industries is more efficient and of greater political value than the present system of government by selection from district.*
This convention declares its full acceptance of he principle of "Proletarian Dictatorship" as being absolute and efficient for the transformation of capitalist private property to communal wealth.
The convention sends fraternal greetings to the Russian Soviet government, the Spartacans [Spartacists] in Germany and all definite working class movements in Europe and the world, recognizing they have won first place in the history of the class struggle.
Carried.
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*Concerning the statement "This convention expresses its open conviction that the system of industrial soviet control by selection of representatives from industries is more efficient and of greater political value than the present system of government by selection from district."
The "system of industrial soviet control by selection of representatives from industries" sounds like Syndicalism, or the Group Government idea put forward by UFA leader Henry Wise Wood. The rise to government of the United Farmers, a strictly Farmer organization, was a form of occupational representation. Labour also had itsown party and elected five MLAS in the 1926 election, including one in Edmonton where under FPTP and Block Voting no Labour had ever been elected before.
Unfortunately for fairness, the other occupational groups envisioned by Wood - Manufacturers and Bankers - were not represented along occupational groups. (Instead, lawyers are the most strongly represented occupation in today's governments, although there is no political party named the "Lawyer's Party.")
Interesting that "the present form of government by election from district," as the 1919 Conference delegates phrased it, was just as criticized a hundred years ago as it is now. I have pointed out, in many blogs elsewhere, how it is impossible for a single representative to represent the myriad beliefs held by the residents in an arbitrarily-drawn geographical district.
Interesting that this was noticed a hundred years ago.
At the time of this conference, Edmonton and Calgary were divided into single-member districts. The Liberal government took the Conference's criticism, and criticism expressed elsewhere against FPTP winner-take-all elections, and grouped the Edmonton districts into a single multi-member district, and grouped the Calgary districts into a single multi-member district. Unfortunately, the government allowed each voter to cast up to five votes, the same number as the number of seats in each city. This allowed the largest group in each city to take all the seats by simple plurality (not majority).
This in fact happened in Edmonton where five Liberal candidates took all the city's seats. In Calgary perhaps due to the positive effects of using a form of proportional representation (STV) in city elections, votes scattered their votes and a variety of party affiliation of MLAs was elected there.
And nice to recall that only five years after the 1919 conference the new Alberta Farmers government brought in that same form of proportional representation (STV) for election of MLAs in the Edmonton and Calgary multi-member districts.
This meant that one representative did not have to try to represent all the residents of a district. And due to PR it meant that a mixed crop of MLAs was elected in each city to represented each part of the electorate that shared his or her views. MLAs did not have to try to pretend to share views with all the residents of the district. He or she could be seen to evidently and strongly pursue the policies of only the portion of the electorate with whom he or she shares political views.
In 1926 MLAs of four different parties were elected in each city -- at least one belonging to the Liberal, Conservative, Labour and Farmer parties. Thus no longer did one MLA have to try to represent all the views of an arbitrarily-drawn portion of the city.
In other words, each MLA would only represent an "unanimous constituency," one unanimous in opinion, instead of a variety of opinion all enclosed in a geographical district as is done under winner-take-all single-member districts.
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RESOLUTION NO. 30 SUBSTITUTE A NEW FORM OF GOVT.
(CLAUSE 2).
Del, Kavanagh (chairman of committee)— Resolution No. 30— (Bricklayers and Mason's Union No. 1. Regina, Sask.)
Whereas Canada is afflicted with a form of government that is of extreme stability;
And whereas social and economic conditions in Canada are changing with extreme rapidity and are likely to continue to change with perhaps even greater rapidity;
And whereas the stability of the government prevents it from properly adjusting itself and the nation's affairs to rapidly changing conditions;
1. Resolved that there is a distinct possibility in the near future of the present form of government being unable to adjust national affairs so as to produce equity within the nation and enable every person in the country to obtain the means of life, liberty and happiness.
2. It may soon be necessary to substitute for our present form of government an assembly and executive to re-organize the nation on a co-operative basis and perpetuate that form of internal adjustment within the nation.
3. In view of those possibilities, it is desirable that all possible information should be obtained as to how much organization is being carried out in other countries and that a desirable method of re-organization for this country be worked out in all the detail possible.
4. That a committee be appointed with provisions for obtaining this information, working out the plans and distributing the results among our members of the labor movement so that they may be prepared for the reorganization in case it becomes necessary.
Resolution carried.
[Whether any action was taken on this resolution is unknown.]
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(From Aims of the strike leaders as set forth in the report of proceedings of the Western Canada Labor Conference held at Calgary, Alberta, March 13, 14, 15, 1919. (available online CIHM 65224))
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