1968 Social Credit Party of Alberta leadership election

Last updated

The Alberta Social Credit leadership convention, 1968, took place in the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on December 4, 1968, to select a candidate to replace Ernest Manning as leader of the Social Credit Party of Alberta. Because Social Credit enjoyed a substantial majority in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta at the time and because convention dictates that the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta asks the leader of the largest party in the legislature to form government, the contest was a de facto selection of the next Premier of Alberta. Harry Strom, long-time Minister of Agriculture and later Minister of Municipal Affairs in Manning's government, came out on top of a six-person field on the second ballot.

Contents

Background

Ernest Manning had been Social Credit's leader and premier of Alberta since he was selected by his caucus to succeed deceased party founder William Aberhart in 1943. Though still not an old man, he had decided to retire as premier after a record-setting 25 years, sensing the mood of change that was beginning to grip the province - his son, Preston Manning, claimed in 2003 that his father was concerned that Social Credit might lose the next election.

Social Credit had never held a leadership contest before. As founder, Aberhart had emerged as the unquestioned leader in advance of the 1935 election, and Manning was the obvious and unanimous choice of his caucus after Aberhart's death in 1943.

The initial favourite was Anders Aalborg, Manning's provincial treasurer. He wanted the job, but declined to enter the race due to health concerns. This left the field open to other, less well-known, candidates.

Candidates

There were five candidates for most of the pre-convention period, with veteran Alfred Hooke entering at the last minute before the convention. The candidates were

Campaign

The campaign aroused little interest, and a poll in the Spring of 1968 found that well over half of respondents had not selected a candidate (the same poll placed Taylor in the lead with 9.8% of the vote, followed by Strom at 5.3% and Reierson and 3.6%). Strom enjoyed the strongest organization, and entered the convention as the favourite.

The convention

As delegates arrived at the December 4 convention, they were greeted by an enormous red and white billboard supporting Reierson and a rock band supporting Gerhart. Inside the convention centre, an oom-pah band was trying to get a snake dance going. Party secretary Orvis Kennedy was trying to prevent a resolution in favour of the Social Credit youth branch, endorsing the legalization of marijuana from making the convention floor (he succeeded).

The convention was attended by delegates elected by party members by constituency. A candidate required a majority of votes to win. On the first ballot, Strom led with 47.6% of the vote, well ahead of the other candidates (Taylor, in second place, had 16.5%). Hooke, in last place, was automatically eliminated, and Gerhart, in a disappointing fifth, dropped out as well. The third place Reierson made his way to the stage to make an announcement, but was physically obstructed by Kennedy. Breaking free, Reierson complained "I never thought I'd live to see the day that a Social Credit candidate would be denied the right to speak to his own supporters" announcing his withdrawal and endorsement of Taylor. Walt Buck, in fourth place, stayed on the ballot, despite entreaties from the Taylor and Reierson camps.

On the second ballot, Strom retained his large lead, although Taylor gained ground. Well above the majority threshold, he was elected leader.

Results

First ballot
CandidateVotesPercentage
Harry Strom 81447.6%
Gordon Taylor 28216.5%
Raymond Reierson 25514.9%
Walt Buck 18410.8%
Edgar Gerhart 1378.0%
Alfred Hooke 382.2%
Second ballot
CandidateVotesPercentage
Harry Strom 91554.9%
Gordon Taylor 60636.3%
Walt Buck 1478.8%

Aftermath

Harry Strom became premier of Alberta a week after the convention. However, his government proved unable to deal with the province's desire for change, and was soundly defeated in the 1971 election by Peter Lougheed's Progressive Conservatives, marking the end of the thirty-five year Social Credit dynasty in Alberta, and the beginning of the Progressive Conservatives' still-longer tenure.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Manning</span> Premier of Alberta from 1943 to 1968

Ernest Charles Manning was a Canadian politician and the eighth premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any other premier in the province's history and was the second longest-serving provincial premier in Canadian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gavin Reid</span> Premier of Alberta, Canada, 1934–1935

Richard Gavin "Dick" Reid was a Canadian politician who served as the sixth premier of Alberta from 1934 to 1935. He was the last member of the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) to hold the office, and that party's defeat at the hands of the upstart Social Credit League in the 1935 election made him the shortest serving premier to that point in Alberta's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Social Credit Party</span> Political party

Alberta Social Credit was a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on social credit monetary policy put forward by Clifford Hugh Douglas and on conservative Christian social values. The Canadian social credit movement was largely an out-growth of Alberta Social Credit. The Social Credit Party of Canada was strongest in Alberta, before developing a base in Quebec when Réal Caouette agreed to merge his Ralliement créditiste movement into the federal party. The British Columbia Social Credit Party formed the government for many years in neighbouring British Columbia, although this was effectively a coalition of centre-right forces in the province that had no interest in social credit monetary policies.

Raymond Albert "Ray" Speaker, is a Canadian politician. Speaker was born and raised in Enchant, Alberta, where he farms to this day. He was an elected official at the federal and provincial levels for 34 years, and never lost an election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1944 Alberta general election</span>

The 1944 Alberta general election was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 Alberta general election</span>

The 1971 Alberta general election was the seventeenth general election held in the Province of Alberta, Canada on August 30, 1971, to elect seventy-five members of the Alberta Legislature to form the 17th Alberta Legislative Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Alberta general election</span>

The 1975 Alberta general election was held on March 26, 1975, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to the 18th Alberta Legislature. The election was called on February 14, 1975 prorogued and dissolved of the 17th Alberta Legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Mountain House (electoral district)</span> Defunct provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada

Rocky Mountain House was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1940 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Bow</span> Defunct provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada

Little Bow was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1913 to 2019.

Gordon Edward Taylor was a Canadian politician, businessman and teacher from Drumheller, Alberta. He served as an elected official for 48 years at both the provincial and federal levels, and never lost an election. Taylor was born in Calgary.

The Canadian social credit movement first contested the 1935 federal election in order to capitalize from the Alberta Social Credit League's surprise victory in Alberta's August 1935 provincial election. Social Credit supporters ran as the Western Social Credit League and John Horne Blackmore was appointed the movement's parliamentary leader following the election although Alberta Premier William Aberhart was generally regarded as the unofficial national leader of the movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt</span> Parliamentary revolt in Alberta, Canada

The 1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt took place from March to June 1937 in the Canadian province of Alberta. It was a rebellion against Premier William Aberhart by a group of backbench members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from his Social Credit League. The dissidents were unhappy with Aberhart's failure to provide Albertans with CA$25 monthly dividends through social credit as he had promised before his 1935 election. When the government's 1937 budget made no move to implement the dividends, many MLAs revolted openly and threatened to defeat the government in a confidence vote.

Walter Alexander Buck was a provincial politician and dentist from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLA) from 1967 to 1989. During his time in office he served in numerous party caucuses and as an Independent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucien Maynard</span> Canadian lawyer and politician

Joseph Lucien Paul Maynard was a lawyer and a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1955 as a member of the Social Credit Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Hooke</span> Canadian politician

Alfred John "Alf" Hooke was a teacher, politician and writer from Alberta, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1971 as a member of the Social Credit Party. He held numerous cabinet portfolios in the government of Ernest Manning from 1943 to 1968. Of the original 1935 Socred caucus, Hooke was the only member to serve continuously in the legislature until the party's defeat in 1971.

Raymond Reierson was a politician from Alberta, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1971 as a member of the Social Credit caucus in government. Reierson held numerous portfolios in the governments of Premier Ernest Manning and Harry Strom from 1955 to 1971. He was born in Edberg in 1919, the son of Reier and Bertha C. Reierson.

Edgar Henry Gerhart was a lawyer, judge and politician from Alberta, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1971 as a member of the Social Credit caucus in government. He served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Ernest Manning and Harry Strom from 1967 to 1971.

Rev. William Morrison was a farmer, church minister, soldier and politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for a short time in 1935 sitting with the Social Credit caucus in government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Strom</span> Premier of Alberta from 1968 to 1971

Harry Edwin Strom was the ninth premier of Alberta, from 1968 to 1971. His two-and-a-half years as Premier were the last of the thirty-six-year Social Credit dynasty, as his defeat by Peter Lougheed saw its replacement by a new era Progressive Conservative government. He is remembered as an honest, decent man who lacked the political skills of his predecessor, Ernest Manning, or of Lougheed.

References