Clear Grits were reformers in the
Canada West district of the Province of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, a British colony that is now the Province of
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. Their name is said to have been given by
George Brown, who said that only those were wanted in the party who were "all sand and no dirt, clear
grit all the way through".
Their support was concentrated among southwestern Canada West farmers, who were frustrated and disillusioned by the 1849
Reform government of
Robert Baldwin and
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine's lack of democratic enthusiasm. The Clear Grits advocated
universal male suffrage,
representation by population, democratic institutions, reductions in government expenditure, abolition of the
Clergy Reserves,
voluntarism, and
free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...
with the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Clear Grits from Upper Canada shared many ideas with
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
.
History
The Clear Grit platform was first laid out at a convention held at
Markham in March 1850, which included the following planks:
#The abrogation of the rectories, and the secularization of the Clergy Reserves.
#Retrenchment in provincial expenditure.
#Abolition of the pensioning system.
#The appointment of all local officials by local municipal councils.
#Thorough judicial reform, especially the abolition of the court of chancery.
#A great extension of the elective franchise, and vote by ballot.
#Repeal of the law of
primogeniture
Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...
.
#Abolition of
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
.
#The right of the people to discuss peacefully any question affecting the government or constitution of the colony.
#Election of the three branches of the legislature by the people of the dominion.
Initially led by
Peter Perry, they later came under the leadership of
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
newspaper editor
George Brown. In 1857, the Clear Grts joined with the
Reform Party, which was a loose alliance of liberal-minded reformers that became the
Ontario Liberal Party and
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...
.
Impact
The "Clear Grits" was one of a long series of farmer-based radical reform movements. Later examples were the
United Farmers and the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialism, democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party:
*
*
*
*
*
* and social democracy, social-democ ...
, the direct ancestor of the modern
New Democratic Party.
See also
*
Liberalism
Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
*
Contributions to liberal theory
*
Liberalism worldwide
*
List of liberal parties
*
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...
*
Liberalism in Canada
*
Politics of Canada
*
Tories
References
External links
*
*
{{Liberal Party of Canada
Canada 1849
Liberal parties in Canada
Political parties in Upper Canada