Editorial: No Socialism in Saskatchewan (1944)

Editorial from the July 1944 issue of the Socialist Standard

Readers of London newspapers may have noticed the practical unanimity of the reports that the recent elections in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan were a triumph for Socialism. The Daily Worker (June 17, 1944) gave as its headline “First Socialist Government in Canada," and the Daily Herald of the same date published the following :—

Socialist Triumph in Canada.

  The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation—Socialist—had a sweeping victory in the Saskatchewan provincial elections yesterday.
     It won 43seats to the Liberals’ four, with four still doubtful.
  As a result, Canada will have its first Socialist provincial Government.—Daily Herald Correspondent.

The Evening Standard (June 15) used the heading "First Govt. of Socialists?” They queried it, but they were not casting doubt on whether the C.C.F. are Socialists, but only on whether the C.C.F. would actually obtain n majority; the Evening Standard report was published before the result was announced. This latter report, however, interests us for another reason, which will be apparent from the following passage:—

  If the Socialists win in a predominantly rural Saskatchewan it would be a feather in their cap. Liberals and Conservatives have been trying to make the most of C.C.F.’s intention to socialise the land, but such plans are stoutly denied by the battery of C.C.F. orators who have descended on the province.

Note the curious situation. A “Socialist” party is alleged to have won a "Socialist" triumph, but it did so by having a battery of orators to convince the electors that the party did not intend to "socialise"!

Further information on the way in which the C.C.F. runs away from its professed objects is given in an article by the Saskatchewan correspondent of the Manchester Guardian (June 19, 1944). According to this report, the British Columbia Convention of the C.C.F. in 1943 "advocated . . . the collectivisation of agriculture."

The leader of the Party, Mr. J. Coldwell, referring to the Party’s original manifesto, adopted in 1933, which "called for socialisation of monopolistic industries and services,” etc., is reported now as having said, "The manifesto was and remains a statement of basic principles of the C.C.F. It is, however, a statement of long-range views.” In other words, the declared object is deferred and pushed into the background in order not to interfere with the present problem of getting votes from all and sundry, whether they agree with the object or not.

Socialist victories are not to be won in this way, as the many examples of Labour Governments here and in other countries show. Parties which win elections on non-Socialist votes are committed irrevocably to the futile task of trying to administer the capitalist system. No matter what evasions and short cuts are sought, the inescapable truth remains that there will be no triumph for Socialism until the necessary spadework has first been done of winning over the electors to Socialism.