The Ginger Group was not a formal political party in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, but a faction of radical

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

and Labour

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members oft ...

who advocated

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

. The term ginger group also refers to a small group with new, radical ideas trying to act as a catalyst within a larger body. The Ginger Group split with the Progressive Party in 1924 when Progressive leader Robert Forke proved too eager to accommodate the Liberal government of

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A L ...

and agreed to support the government's budget with only minimal concessions. J. S. Woodsworth, using his right as the leader of the Independent Labour MPs, moved a stronger amendment to the budget based on demands the Progressives had made in earlier years but had since abandoned. The Progressive and Labour MPs who broke with their Progressive colleagues to support Woodsworth became the "Ginger Group". It was made up of

United Farmers of Alberta The United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) is an association of Alberta farmers that has served different roles in its 100-year history – as a lobby group, a successful political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. As a political party, it form ...

MPs

George Gibson Coote George Gibson Coote (August 18, 1880 – November 24, 1959) was a Canadian accountant, bank manager, farmer, and federal politician. Political career Coote was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1921 Canadian federal election as ...

Robert Gardiner Robert Gardiner may refer to: Politicians *Robert Gardiner (politician) (1879–1945), farmer and federal Member of Parliament from Canada * Robert Gardiner (MP for Bristol), see Bristol (UK Parliament constituency) * Robert K. A. Gardiner (1914� ...

, Edward Joseph Garland,

Donald MacBeth Kennedy Donald MacBeth Kennedy (August 21, 1884 – September 25, 1957) was a Canadian farmer as well as a provincial and federal level Canadian politician representing Albertans. He was a UFA MLA 1921-1922 and a Progressive/UFA MP 1921–1935. Kennedy ...

and

Henry Elvins Spencer Henry Elvins Spencer (7 March 1882 – 1 October 1972) was a Canadian politician. Born in the United Kingdom, Spencer worked as a printer and publisher in Paris from 1906 to 1907 before emigrating to Canada in 1908. Settling in Alberta, he ...

as well as United Farmers of Ontario MP

Agnes Macphail Agnes Campbell MacPhail (March 24, 1890 – February 13, 1954) was a Canadian politician and the first woman elected to Canada's House of Commons. She served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1921 to 1940; from 1943 to 1945 and again from 1948 ...

. The group was later joined by Labour MPs J. S. Woodsworth, William Irvine, Abraham Albert Heaps and

Angus MacInnis Angus MacInnis (September 2, 1884 – March 3, 1964) was a Canadian socialist politician and parliamentarian. MacInnis, a trade unionist who had served for five years as a Vancouver Alderman, was first elected to the House of Commons of Ca ...

, independent MP Joseph Tweed Shaw and

MPs Milton Neil Campbell,

William John Ward William John Ward (October 25, 1880 – August 18, 1971) was a Canadian politician, farmer, insurance agent, and real estate agent from Dauphin, Manitoba. A member of the Ginger Group, he joined the Progressives in 1921, was a Liberal Progr ...

William Charles Good William Charles Good (February 24, 1876 – November 16, 1967), also known as W. C. Good, was a Canadian politician and leader of the farmers' and co-operative movement in Canada. Good the executive of the Farmers' Association in 1904. A ...

, and Preston Elliott. Members of the Ginger Group played a role in forming the

Cooperative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialistThe foll ...

in 1932, with Woodsworth becoming the new party's leader. The only sitting United Farmers of Alberta who did not join the CCF at its founding was William Thomas Lucas who ran for re-election unsuccessfully as a Conservative in 1935. The name Ginger Group was also used to refer to a group of

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

MPs who, in 1917 opposed

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borden ...

's use of the Military Service Act to introduce conscription during the

Conscription Crisis of 1917 The Conscription Crisis of 1917 (french: Crise de la conscription de 1917) was a political and military crisis in Canada during World War I. It was mainly caused by disagreement on whether men should be conscripted to fight in the war, but also b ...

References

{{Canadian federal political parties 1924 establishments in Canada Agrarian parties in Canada Nationalist parties in Canada Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Federal political parties in Canada Labour history of Canada Political party factions in Canada Political schisms Progressivism in Canada Social democratic parties in Canada Socialist parties in Canada United Farmers

See also

References