Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, 1948

Liberal leadership election, 1948
Date	August 7, 1948
Convention	Ottawa Coliseum,; Lansdowne Park,; Ottawa, Ontario
Resigning leader	William Lyon Mackenzie King
Won by	Louis St. Laurent
Ballots	1
Candidates	3
	Liberal leadership elections ; 1919 · 1948 · 1958 · 1968 · 1980 · 1984 · 1990 · 2003 · 2006 · 2009 · 2013

Last updated April 17, 2019

The 1948 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was called to replace retiring Liberal leader and sitting Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The convention was held exactly 29 years after the 1919 leadership convention that saw King elected Liberal leader.

The Liberal Party of Canada is the oldest and longest-serving governing political party in Canada. The Liberals form the current government, elected in 2015. The party has dominated federal politics for much of Canada's history, holding power for almost 69 years in the 20th century—more than any other party in a developed country—and as a result, it is sometimes referred to as Canada's "natural governing party".

The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and Canada's head of government. The current, and 23rd, Prime Minister of Canada is the Liberal Party's Justin Trudeau, following the 2015 Canadian federal election. Canadian prime ministers are styled as The Right Honourable, a privilege maintained for life.

William Lyon Mackenzie King, also commonly known as Mackenzie King, was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth prime minister of Canada in 1921–1926, 1926–1930 and 1935–1948. He is best known for his leadership of Canada throughout the Second World War (1939–1945) when he mobilized Canadian money, supplies and volunteers to support Britain while boosting the economy and maintaining morale on the home front. A Liberal with 21 years and 154 days in office, he was the longest-serving prime minister in Canadian history. Trained in law and social work, he was keenly interested in the human condition, and played a major role in laying the foundations of the Canadian welfare state.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations and heads the Department of Global Affairs, though the Minister of International Trade leads on international trade issues. In addition to the Department, the Minister is also the lead in overseeing the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development and the International Development Research Centre.

Louis St. Laurent 12th Prime Minister of Canada

Louis Stephen St. Laurent was the 12th prime minister of Canada, from 15 November 1948 to 21 June 1957. He was a Liberal with a strong base in the Catholic francophone community, from which base he had long mobilised support to Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. His foreign policy initiatives transformed Canada from an isolationist ex-colony with little role in world affairs to an active "middle power". St. Laurent was an enthusiastic proponent of Canada's joining NATO in 1949 to fight the spread of Communism, overcoming opposition from some intellectuals, the Labor-Progressive Party, and many French Canadians. The contrast with Mackenzie King was not dramatic – they agreed on most policies. St. Laurent had more hatred of communism, and less fear of the United States. He was neither an idealist nor a bookish intellectual, but an "eminently moderate, cautious conservative man ... and a strong Canadian nationalist".

The Minister of Agriculture is a Minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Farm Products Council and the Canadian Grain Commission. The current Minister of Agriculture is Marie-Claude Bibeau.

Candidates

James Garfield Gardiner

Background

Premier of Saskatchewan (1926–1929, 1934–1935)
MP for Melville, Saskatchewan (1940–1958)
MP for Assiniboia, Saskatchewan (1936–1940)
Minister of Agriculture (1935–1957)

The Premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Saskatchewan is Scott Moe, who was sworn in as premier on February 2, 2018 after winning the Saskatchewan Party leadership election, 2018. The first Premier of Saskatchewan was Thomas Walter Scott, who served from 1905–1916. Since Saskatchewan joined Confederation as a province in 1905, 15 individuals have served as premier.

Melville was a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1968. This riding was created in 1924 from parts of Saltcoats riding.

Assiniboia was a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1908 to 1988. This riding was created in 1907 following the admission of Saskatchewan into the Canadian Confederation in 1905. It was abolished in 1987 when it was redistributed into Moose Jaw—Lake Centre, Regina—Qu'Appelle, Regina—Wascana, Souris—Moose Mountain and Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia ridings.

Gardiner, 64, called for increased immigration and closer ties to the United Kingdom. His support was strongest in Alberta, British Columbia, and his home province of Saskatchewan, and he was seen as St. Laurent's primary competition. His convention speech, which went over the allotted 20 minutes, asked for a chance to be the party's "spark plug." King campaigned hard against Gardiner, calling his campaign "ruthless and selfish," and criticized his tactics.^[1]

The United Kingdom (UK), officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and sometimes referred to as Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.

Alberta is a western province of Canada. With an estimated population of 4,067,175 as of 2016 census, it is Canada's fourth most populous province and the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces. Its area is about 660,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi). Alberta and its neighbour Saskatchewan were districts of the Northwest Territories until they were established as provinces on September 1, 1905. The premier has been Rachel Notley since May 2015.

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. With an estimated population of 5.016 million as of 2018, it is Canada's third-most populous province.

Charles Gavan Power

Background

MP for Quebec South, Quebec (1917–1955)
Senator for Gulf, Quebec (1955–1968)
Minister of Pensions and National Health (1935–1939)
Postmaster General (1939–1940)
Minister of National Defence for Air (1940–1944)
Associate Minister of National Defence (1940–1944)

Quebec South was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1968.

Minister of Pensions and National Health was an office in the Cabinet of Canada from 1928 to 1944. Prior to 1928, certain responsibilities of the Pensions and National Health portfolio were carried out by the now-defunct post of Minister of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment.

The Postmaster General of Canada was the Canadian cabinet minister responsible for the Post Office Department. In 1851, management of the post office was transferred from Britain to the provincial governments of the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The position of Postmaster General was established in each province. With Canadian Confederation in 1867, a single position was created replacing this post in all of the above provinces except Newfoundland; this position was abolished in 1981 when the post office was transformed from a government department into a crown corporation. From 1900 until 1909 the Postmaster General was also responsible for the Department of Labour.

Power, 60, had resigned from cabinet during World War II amidst the Conscription Crisis of 1944 due to his opposition to conscription. Power left the Liberals to sit as an "Independent Liberal," and was elected as such during the 1945 election. Following the war, Power rejoined the Liberals. His convention speech called for electoral reform (including placing limits on campaign spending), and called on the party to return to its policy of protecting individual rights.^[1]

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service for men in Canada during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but was not as politically damaging.

Independent Liberal is a description allowed in politics to denote party affiliation. It is used to designate a politician as a liberal, yet independent of the official Liberal Party of a country. Those parties were the Liberal Party of Canada, or the Liberal Party of the United Kingdom, or the New Zealand Liberal Party.

Louis St. Laurent

Background

MP for Quebec East, Quebec (1942–1958)
Minister of Justice and Attorney General (1941–1946, 1948)
Secretary of State for External Affairs (1946–1948)

St. Laurent, 66, was King's personal choice, and King campaigned hard for St. Laurent to win. King lobbied hard behind the scenes, reversing his earlier pledge not to vote on the first ballot and convincing various other cabinet ministers (as seen below) to enter the race and withdraw in favour of St. Laurent. St. Laurent's support was seen as strong throughout the country, especially Ontario and Quebec. St. Laurent's convention speech told delegates that his government would fight to prevent the spread of communism abroad, and that the Liberals were the only party capable of bridging the gap between English Canada and French Canada, and respect provincial rights.^[1]

Withdrawn candidates

From left to right: Abbott, Chevrier, Claxton, Garson, Howe, and Martin.

King, in his behind the scenes attempt to swing the convention in favour of St. Laurent, convinced the following candidates to run for the leadership but withdraw at the convention to support St. Laurent:^[1]

Douglas Abbott, MP for Saint-Antoine—Westmount and Minister of Finance
Lionel Chevrier, MP for Stormont and Minister of Transport
Brooke Claxton, MP for St. Lawrence—St. George and Minister of National Defence
Stuart Garson, MLA for Fairford and Premier of Manitoba
C. D. Howe, MP for Port Arthur and Minister of Trade and Commerce
Paul Martin Sr., MP for Essex East and Minister of National Health and Welfare

There was an attempt to draft Premier of Nova Scotia Angus Lewis Macdonald after he gave a rousing speech to the convention but he announced that he would not stand.^[2]

Results

Louis St. Laurent, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and James Garfield Gardiner at the convention. 1948 Liberal Convention1.jpg — Louis St. Laurent, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and James Garfield Gardiner at the convention.

First Ballot
Candidate		Delegate Support	Percentage
	ST. LAURENT, Louis Stephen	848	69.1%
	GARDINER, James Garfield	323	26.3%
	POWER, Charles Gavan	56	4.6%
Total		1,227	100%

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References

1 2 3 4 "1948 Liberal Convention". CPAC . Retrieved April 24, 2014.
↑ "Five Possible Candidates For Liberal Leadership As Voting Hour Nears". The Globe and Mail. 7 August 1948.

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[cpac-1] 1 2 3 4 "1948 Liberal Convention". CPAC . Retrieved April 24, 2014.

[2] "Five Possible Candidates For Liberal Leadership As Voting Hour Nears". The Globe and Mail. 7 August 1948.