Melbourne A. Doig (b. 1912 - d. 25 October 1998) was a longtime

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

politician in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. He served as leader of the Communist Party of Canada - Ontario in the 1981 provincial election, and was a prominent member of the federal party. Doig was raised in a

working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

community of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

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, and received a

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degree from the

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

in 193

He also joined the

Communist Party of Canada The Communist Party of Canada is a federal political party in Canada. Founded in 1921 under conditions of illegality, it is the second oldest active political party in Canada, after the Liberal Party of Canada. Although it does not currentl ...

in the 1930s. He described himself as an organizer in he late 1940s. He was a

Labor-Progressive Party The Labor-Progressive Party (LPP; ) was the legal Front organization, front of the Communist Party of Canada and its provincial wings from 1943 to 1959. It was established amid World War II after a number of prominent Communist Party members w ...

candidate in

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

in the 1949 federal election and a 1950 federal by-election in the same riding. He finished fourth on both occasions. Doig served on the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada in the early 1980s. An article in ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' lists him as having been 68 years old in 1980. The same article cites Doig as making the following comments in the 1980 federal election: "We are struggling to bring about a socialist society based on the interests of the majority of people who fight the exploitation of a minority. While we do see the possibility of achieving this end through the parliamentary process, we do not rule out the possibility of armed struggle if necessary . . . nor are we fighting for a socialist state and government that can be voted out of office through the ballot box." Doig was a candidate in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

in the

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

and

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

federal elections and in the

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riding of St. Paul's in the 1980 federal election. He described himself as a journalist in 1979 and 1980 and as a secretary in 1984. Doig never came close to winning election. During the 1981 provincial campaign, Doig called for a "new majority" of Members of Provincial Parliament who would end the foreign control of provincial industries. His party's platform called for the nationalization of natural resources, and government takeovers of plants that were in financial jeopardy. The Communist Party did not run a full slate of candidates. Doig proposed that MPPs belonging to the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

(NDP) could become part of the "new majority" in the legislature. He received 162 votes in

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, finishing last against NDP candidate Tony Lupusella.

Electoral record

Notes

# John Fraser, "Commitment to a cause, not votes, prompts these candidates to run", ''The Globe and Mail'', 25 January 1980. # Stan Oziewicz, "Communists call for 'new majority' to break hold of U.S. companies", ''The Globe and Mail'', 27 February 1981. {{DEFAULTSORT:Doig, Mel 1998 deaths Labor-Progressive Party candidates in the 1949 Canadian federal election Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 1979 Canadian federal election Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 1980 Canadian federal election Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 1984 Canadian federal election Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) candidates in Ontario provincial elections Politicians from Montreal Leaders of the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) 1912 births Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament