Fonds paa-9319 - Alberta Social Credit Party fonds

In the early 1920s, Major C.H. Douglas founded Social Credit theory. The theory posited that banks held capital that could be circulated to the people. He advocated the distribution of money, or "social credit," to allow people to purchase the goods and services produced by capitalist enterprise. He believed that the total wages paid to individuals producing goods (which he called "A") would always total less than the total costs of production ("B"). Therefore, without social credit, the people could not purchase all of the goods and services produced. This was known as the "A plus B theorem.";A high school principal and radio evangelist in Alberta, William Aberhart, introduced Social Credit to the listeners of his radio program, "Back to Bible Hour". He also lectured his students at the Prophetic Bible Institute in Calgary about Social Credit, proposing that Social Credit theory could alleviate the financial strain of the Depression. Graduates from the institute organized numerous Social Credit study groups in Calgary. By early 1935, the movement had spread throughout Alberta, and Aberhart became president of the newly formed Social Credit League. That year, the Social Credit League ran in the provincial election. The ruling United Farmers' of Alberta (UFA) lost all of their seats while the Social Credit League gained the majority with fifty-six seats. While in power, the Social Credit government attempted to effect new laws such as the Credit of Alberta Regulation Act, and the Bank Taxation Act. However, the Lieutenant Governor or the Federal Government disallowed almost all of the reforms excepting the establishment of Credit Houses, now Alberta Treasury Branches. After failure to enact the promised reforms, public opinion turned on the Party and newspapers began to criticize the government. In response, the Social Credit government passed the Accurate News and Information Act in an effort to censor the media. Ultimately, the Lieutenant-Governor, John Bowen, disallowed both bills by refusing to sign it into law. He turned the bills over to the Supreme Court of Canada for comment and the court ruled the bill unconstitutional under the British North America Act. The Edmonton Journal won a Pulitzer for the coverage and opposition to the act. Despite the criticism lobbed at the party, Alberta re-elected the Social Credit Party in 1940. In 1943, Aberhart died, and Ernest Manning a former student of the Prophetic Bible Institute and fellow broadcaster, succeeded him as Premier. During Manning's tenure as Premier, he developed Alberta's oil and gas industry. He facilitated American investments in the industry, and he established the Alberta Gas Truck Line. He also promoted the construction of the Trans-Canada Pipeline during the late 1950s. The Alberta Social Credit Party also maintained a women's auxiliary that worked in support of the Party. While Social Credit Women's Auxiliaries held its first conference in Calgary in 1938, groups of women had been meeting in Social Credit discussion groups since the early party of the 1930s. The auxiliaries raised money for the Party and also held social events such as teas, parades, dinners, and fairs. In the 1967 election, the Social Credit Party continued its majority, but lost much of the popular vote to the Progressive Conservative Party under Peter Lougheed. After the election, Manning retired and Harry Strom became leader. In the 1971 election, the Social Credit Party maintained only twenty-five seats and became the Official Opposition. By the late 1970s, the party lost most of its popularity. In the 1993 election, the Social Credit Party ran 39 candidates without success. The Social Credit Party remains a registered political party in Canada. Len Skowronski serves as the current leader of the party. According to the by-laws of the Party, the purpose of the Party includes promoting the election of enough candidates of the Alberta Social Credit Party to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to form a government. Objectives of the party include study and extending the knowledge of the principles of the Alberta Social Credit Party and their application in Alberta; to establish responsible and effective democratic government in Alberta; to oppose and expose any attempts to weaken the democratic sovereignty and the democratic institutions of the people by the means of increased centralization of power; to oppose any attempt to spread or implant the seeds of racial discrimination, class hatred or religious intolerance among the citizens of Alberta; to obtain the economic security which the vast resources of Alberta can provide for its citizens; to make poverty and privation totally unnecessary; to secure freedom from oppressive debt and taxation; to influence the provincial economy through the Alberta Treasury Branch and other provincial financial institutions through such measures as low interest loans; to provide the people of Alberta with an effective organization for obtaining information on matters essential to their welfare and for taking action to assert their democratic will; and to foster, advance and promote the attainment of a humanitarian society within the framework of a realistic and responsible free economy.