Social Credit Party of Canada leadership elections

The Canadian social credit movement first contested the 1935 federal election in order to capitalize from the Alberta Social Credit League's surprise victory in Alberta's August 1935 provincial election. Social Credit supporters ran as the Western Social Credit League and John Horne Blackmore was appointed the movement's parliamentary leader following the election although Alberta Premier William Aberhart was generally regarded as the unofficial national leader of the movement.

Aberhart and the Social Credit movement supported William Duncan Herridge as leader of the national New Democracy movement for the 1940 election – Herridge failed to win a seat in Parliament, however, and Blackmore remained leader of the group in parliament. In 1944, at its first national convention, the Social Credit Association of Canada was formed and elected its first official national leader.

The convention was held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The party leader was elected on April 6, 1944.

First Ballot

Early in the convention MPs John Horne Blackmore, Victor Quelch and Rev. Ernest George Hansell were all reported to be possible contenders for the party leadership. However, only Alberta Provincial Treasurer Solon Low and Major Andrew Henry Jukes, the leader of the British Columbia Social Credit League since 1937, were nominated for the leadership. Jukes withdrew before the vote was held and Low was acclaimed.

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