Reasons Canada is Not Ready for Self-Government #4: The United Farmers

Our parliamentary caucus. Photo by RCB.

In 1919, a group called the United Farmers of Ontario decided to contest the provincial election. To everyone’s surprise, they won. They then had two problems: first, they had no leader. The most prominent members of the party refused the post. Second, they had no platform. The elected members had no idea what they stood for, and could not agree on policies. Many members were against forming a government.

In 1921 a provincial election was called in Alberta. The United Farmers of Alberta decided to run candidates, and they won too. Despite the example of Ontario, again, they were unprepared. They had no leader, and could not agree on policy. They lobbied the sitting premier, a Liberal, to remain in power. He refused. So they were stuck.

Herbert Greenfield, reluctant UFA premier of Alberta.

In the same year, a federal election was called, and the hastily-formed federal version of the United Farmers, the Progressives, similarly surprised by pulling enough voted to form the opposition. They too had no leader, and, uncertain what their policy was, declined to serve as official opposition.

In 1922, the United Farmers of Manitoba also won the election--despite running candidates in only two thirds of the ridings.

The United Farmers apparently did not contest any other provinces. Which is no doubt a good thing, since they probably would have won there too.

Not exactly knowing why they were there, of course, the Progressives/United Farmers did not hold together very well in government. Within a few years, they had split into warring factions and variously merged with the Liberals, CCF, or the newly-minted “Progressive Conservatives.” In the end, the United Farmers of Alberta, finding politics less than profitable, regrouped themselves as a chain of feed stores and gas stations. No, really.

Now, it ought to be clear that a grown-up nation does not vote in staggering numbers for a new and unknown party without either leaders, a platform, or any kind of experience in government. That’s just perverse.

Adding self-insult to self-injury, we seem to have done it just because they called us a bunch of peasants, and were against government in any form. We liked the idea.