Social Credit Party of Alberta

The Social Credit Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values.

Formation and government

The party was founded in 1935 in the depths of the Great Depression by evangelist William Aberhart. It shocked Canadian political observers by winning the first election it contested in Alberta only months after its formation.

Related Topics:
1935 - Great Depression - William Aberhart - First election

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Initially, the party attempted to implement its radical populist policies, such as the issuance of prosperity certificates to Alberta residents (dubbed funny money by detractors) in accordance with social credit monetary theory. Three government bills were refused Royal Assent by Lieutenant-Governor John C. Bowen. The Supreme Court of Canada subsequently ruled the legislation unconstitutional because banking and fiscal policy is a responsibility of the federal government. Bowen also refused royal assent to the Accurate News and Information Act, would have forced newspapers to print government rebuttals to stories the provincial cabinet objected to. The government also repealed legislation allowing for the recall of members of the Legislative Assembly by petition when Aberhart himself became the target of recall efforts.

Related Topics:
Populist - Prosperity certificates - Royal Assent - Lieutenant-Governor - John C. Bowen - Supreme Court of Canada - Cabinet - Legislative Assembly

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Thwarted in their attempt to gain complete control of Alberta's banks, Aberhart's government eventually succeeded in gaining a foothold in the province's financial sector by creating the Alberta Treasury Branches in 1938. The government's relationship with Bowen became so acrimonious that the lieutenant-governor even threatened to use his reserve powers to dismiss it. In the end Bowen chose not to take this extraordinary action, probably because Social Credit would likely have been re-elected in the ensuing general election. ATB has become a lasting legacy of Social Credit Party policies in Alberta, operating as of 2004 as an orthodox financial institution and crown corporation.

Related Topics:
Alberta Treasury Branches - 1938 - Reserve powers - General election - As of 2004 - Financial institution - Crown corporation

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"Bible Bill" Aberhart died in 1943 and was replaced by another evangelical preacher, Ernest Manning. Manning's government was more pragmatic, and under his leadership, the party abandoned social credit monetary theories, and turned into a more traditional conservative party. After the war, Manning moved to purge the party of anti-Semitism, which had been an element of its Christian populist rhetoric until then. Several socially conservative laws remained in place, notably one restricting the serving of alcohol. Commercial passenger craft had to stop serving alcohol while flying over the province.

Related Topics:
1943 - Ernest Manning - Anti-Semitism

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The discovery of significant reserves of oil in 1947 transformed Alberta from one of Canada's poorest provinces to one of the country's richest with resource revenues pouring into the government's treasury.

Related Topics:
Oil - 1947

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