Socialist Party of Canada - History

History

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 strongest in British Columbia, and won seats in the province's legislature.

In 1907, a moderate faction of the SPC split off to form the Social Democratic Party of British Columbia (SDPBC). In 1911, the SDPBC became the Social Democratic Party of Canada (SDPC). The SPC and the SDPC were bitter rivals for several years.

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.