Socialist Party of Canada
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Socialist Party of Canada
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| Leader | E.T. Kingsley |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Dissolved | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Victoria, BC |
| Newspaper | Western Clarion (1903-1918, 1920-1925) |
| Ideology |
Socialism Libertarian Socialism Classical Marxism Impossibilism |
| Colours | Red |
The first Socialist Party of Canada (SPC) existed from 1904 to 1925 led by E. T. Kingsley. It published the Western Clarion newspaper.
The founding of the Socialist Party of Canada began at the Socialist Party of British Columbia 4th annual convention on December 30 and 31, 1904. Delegates at the convention were urged to consider organizing the nucleus of a federal party, noting the acceptance of the platform with socialist parties and organizations in other provinces. Socialist organizations quickly approved the party formation, and the new party executive met for the first time on February 19, 1905.
The party had a revolutionary Marxist orientation: it saw attempts to reform capitalism as counterproductive to the goal of overturning the capitalist system entirely and replacing it with a socialist model.
The SPC was structured as a network of local organisations, each conducting education and propaganda in their respective communities. Provincial-level executive bodies which coordinated the activity of these local groups existed in five provinces — British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, and the Maritime Provinces. The governing National Executive Committee of the organization was headquartered and met in British Columbia, but it consisted almost entirely of British Columbia residents. No national convention of the party was ever held.
The SPC was numerically strongest in British Columbia where it won seats in the province's legislature. In the provincial election of 1907 the SPC garnered more than 5,000 votes. This was followed by the party's strongest showing in its history in 1909, when it collected over 11,000 votes — about 22% of the total ballots cast. The leadership of the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council were committed members of the CPC during this period and these officials played a role in stymying an effort to undercut CPC support through the establishment of a new Labour Party.
In Winnipeg, the Manitoba branch of the SPC was initially a rival to the city's reformist labour groups. The SPC may have been responsible for defeating of centrist labour candidate Fred Dixon in the election of 1910. The resulting backlash from trade union groups weakened the SPC in Winnipeg for a number of years.
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