Editing Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

{{Short description|Canadian political party (1932–1961)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox political party
| country          = Canada
| name             = Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
| native_name      = ''Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif''<br />''Parti social démocratique du Canada''
| colorcode        = #008000
| logo             = [[File:Co-operative Commonwealth Federation logo.png|150px]]<br />Political party
| chairman         = [[J. S. Woodsworth]]<br />[[M. J. Coldwell]]<br />[[F. R. Scott]]<br />[[Percy Wright]]<br />[[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]]
| leader1_title    = Secretary
| leader1_name     = M. J. Coldwell<br />David Lewis<br />Lorne Ingle<br />Carl Hamilton
| ideology         = ''[[Co-operative economics#Co-operative commonwealth|Co-operative commonwealth]]''<ref name="Britannica" /><br />[[Democratic socialism]]<br />[[Social democracy]]<br>[[Social Gospel]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/social-gospel | title=Social Gospel }}</ref><br>[[Agrarianism]]<ref name="Lipset1971">{{cite book|author=Seymour Martin Lipset|title=Agrarian Socialism: The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation in Saskatchewan : a Study in Political Sociology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_oosxdaj7JQC|access-date=20 August 2012|year=1971|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-02056-6|author-link=Seymour Martin Lipset}}</ref>
| position         = [[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]]<ref name="Finkel1979">{{cite book|author=Alvin Finkel|title=Business and Social Reform in the Thirties|url=https://archive.org/details/businesssocialre0000unse|url-access=registration|year=1979|publisher=James Lorimer & Company|isbn=978-0-88862-235-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/businesssocialre0000unse/page/154 154]}}</ref><ref name="Britannica">{{cite web |title=Co-operative Commonwealth Federation |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Co-operative-Commonwealth-Federation |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=2025-04-28}}</ref>
| international    = [[Socialist International]]
| think_tank       = [[League for Social Reconstruction]]
| foundation       = 1 August 1932
| dissolution      = 3 August 1961
| predecessor      = [[Ginger Group]]<br />{{nowrap|[[Labour candidates and parties in Canada|Independent Labour Party]]}}<br />[[United Farmers of Alberta]] {{small|(political wing)}}
| successor        = [[New Democratic Party]]
| headquarters     = [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| colours          = {{hlist | Green | yellow}}
| seats1           = <!-- {{Infobox political party/seats|1|265|hex=#008000}} -->
}}

The '''Co-operative Commonwealth Federation''' ('''CCF'''; {{langx|fr|Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif}}, '''FCC''') was a federal [[democratic socialism|democratic socialist]]<ref name="demsoc">The following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party:

* {{cite book|author1=Robert Bothwell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DMaS5cb7s8QC&pg=PA149|title=Canada Since 1945: Power, Politics and Provincialism|author2=Ian M. Drummond|author3=John English|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=1989|isbn=978-0-8020-6672-5|page=149|access-date=20 August 2012}}
* {{cite book|author=Anthony Hlynka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQ9CN1wIA48C&pg=PR24|title=The Honourable Member for Vegreville: The Memoirs and Diary of Anthony Hlynka, M.P. (1940–49)|publisher=University of Calgary Press|year=2005|isbn=978-1-55238-137-3|page=24|access-date=20 August 2012}}
* {{cite book|author1=Callum G. Brown|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXhovNnt76QC&pg=PA106|title=Secularisation in the Christian World|author2=Michael Snape|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|year=2010|isbn=978-0-7546-6131-3|page=106|access-date=20 August 2012}}
* {{cite book|author=Will Ferguson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LITNdiHQPnwC&pg=PT200|title=Canadian History for Dummies|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2011|isbn=978-0-470-67678-3|page=200|access-date=20 August 2012}}
* {{cite book|author=Charles D. Ameringer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kD5qi3MyEHYC&pg=PA157|title=Political Parties of the Americas, 1980s to 1990s: Canada, Latin America, and the West Indies|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1992|isbn=978-0-313-27418-3|page=157|access-date=20 August 2012}}
* {{cite book|author1=Terence Allan Crowley|url=https://archive.org/details/essentialsofcana00crow|title=The Essentials of Canadian History: Pre-colonization to 1867—the Beginning of a Nation|author2=Murphy, Rae|publisher=Research & Education Assoc.|year=1993|isbn=978-0-7386-7144-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/essentialsofcana00crow/page/47 47]|access-date=5 May 2013|url-access=registration}}</ref> and [[social democracy|social-democratic]]<ref name="socdem">These sources describe the CCF as a social-democratic political party:
*{{cite book|author1=Bryan Evans|author2=Ingo Schmidt|title=Social Democracy After the Cold War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZMcifiPmo8UC&pg=PA47|access-date=17 August 2012|year=2012|publisher=Athabasca University Press|isbn=978-1-926836-87-4|page=47}}
*{{cite book|author=Rand Dyck|title=Canadian Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BUOoN8e5Ps0C&pg=PA219|access-date=17 August 2012|year=2011|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-17-650343-7|page=219}}
*{{cite book|author1=M. O. Dickerson|author2=Thomas Flanagan|author3=Brenda O'Neill|title=An Introduction to Government and Politics: A Conceptual Approach|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LZKSMxXKQ6EC&pg=PA169|access-date=17 August 2012|year=2009|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-17-650042-9|page=169}}
*{{cite book|author1=Craig Heron|author2=Robert Storey|title=On the Job: Confronting the Labour Process in Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ldSFRJaVbxAC&pg=PA21|access-date=17 August 2012|year=1986|publisher=McGill-Queens|isbn=978-0-7735-0599-5|page=21}}
*{{cite book|author=Norman Penner|title=From Protest to Power: Social Democracy in Canada 1900–Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A70zWFHTg2EC&pg=PA86|access-date=19 August 2012|year=1992|publisher=James Lorimer & Company|isbn=978-1-55028-384-6|page=86}}</ref> [[List of political parties in Canada|political party in Canada]]. The CCF was founded in 1932 in [[Calgary|Calgary, Alberta]], by a number of [[socialism|socialist]], [[agrarianism|agrarian]], [[co-operative]], and [[labour movement|labour]] groups,<ref name="Finkel1997">{{cite book|author=Alvin Finkel|title=Our Lives: Canada After 1945|url=https://archive.org/details/ourlivescanadaaf0000fink|url-access=registration|access-date=20 August 2012|year=1997|publisher=James Lorimer & Company|isbn=978-1-55028-551-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/ourlivescanadaaf0000fink/page/5 5]}}</ref> and the [[League for Social Reconstruction]]. In [[1944 Saskatchewan general election|1944]], the CCF formed one of the first social-democratic governments in North America when it was elected to form the provincial government in [[Saskatchewan]].<ref name="Davis1983">{{cite book|author=Peter Davis|title=Social Democracy in the South Pacific|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqkOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA53|access-date=17 August 2012|year=1983|publisher=Peter Davis|isbn=978-0-908636-35-8|page=53}}</ref>

The full, but little used, name of the party was '''Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Farmer-Labour-Socialist)'''.<ref name="Calgary Herald, August 1, 1932">Calgary Herald, August 1, 1932</ref>

In 1961, the CCF was succeeded by the [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]] (NDP).

==History==
===Origins===
The CCF aimed to alleviate the suffering that workers and farmers, the ill and the old endured under capitalism, seen most starkly during the [[Great Depression]], through the creation of a Co-operative Commonwealth, which would entail economic co-operation, public ownership of the economy, and political reform.
 
The object of the political party as reported at its founding meeting in Calgary in 1932 was "the federation [joining together] of organizations whose purpose is the establishment in Canada of a co-operative commonwealth, in which the basic principle of regulating production, distribution and exchange will be the supplying of human needs instead of the making of profit."<ref name="Calgary Herald, August 1, 1932"/>

The goal of the CCF was defined as a "community freed from the domination of irresponsible financial and economic power in which all social means of production and distribution, including land, are socially owned and controlled either by voluntarily organized groups of producers and consumers or – in the case of major public services and utilities and such productive and distributive enterprises as can be conducted most efficiently when owned in common – by public corporations responsible to the people's elected representatives".<ref>Laurence Gronlund, ''Co-operative Commonwealth, An Exposition of Socialism'' (1884), p. 36 as quoted in Monto, Tom, ''Protest and Progress, Three Labour Radicals in Early Edmonton'', Crang Publishing/Alhambra Books, p. 156</ref> Many of the party's first [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) were members of the [[Ginger Group (Canada)|Ginger Group]], composed of United Farmers of Alberta, left-wing [[Progressive Party of Canada|Progressive]], and [[Labour candidates and parties in Canada|Labour]] MPs. These MPs included [[United Farmers of Alberta]] MPs [[William Irvine (Canadian politician)|William Irvine]] and [[Edward Joseph Garland|Ted Garland]], [[Agnes Macphail]] (UFO), [[Humphrey Mitchell]], [[Abraham Albert Heaps]], [[Angus MacInnis]], and Labour Party MP [[J. S. Woodsworth]]. Founding groups included the Independent Labour Party (of Manitoba), the Canadian Labour Party (mostly in Edmonton), the Dominion Labour Party of southern Alberta, the UFA, and the United Farmers of Ontario (which withdrew from the CCF in 1934).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/Co-operativeCommonwealthFederation-CCF-CanadianHistory.htm | title=Quebec History }}</ref>

Also involved in founding the new party were members of the [[League for Social Reconstruction]] (LSR), such as [[F. R. Scott]] and [[Frank Underhill]].<ref name="Young_1969">{{cite book | last = Young | first = Walter D. | title = The anatomy of a party: the national CCF 1932–61 | publisher = University of Toronto Press | year = 1969 | location = Toronto | url = https://archive.org/details/anatomyofpartyna0000youn | url-access = registration | quote = Anatomy of a party}}</ref>{{rp|31}} It can be said that the CCF was founded on May 26, 1932, when the Ginger Group MPs and LSR members met in William Irvine's office, the unofficial caucus meeting room for the Ginger Group, and went about forming the basis of the new party.{{sfnp|McNaught|2001|pp=259–260}} J. S. Woodsworth was unanimously appointed the temporary leader until they could hold a founding convention.{{sfnp|McNaught|2001|pp=259–260}} The temporary name for the new party was the Commonwealth Party.<ref name="Young_1969"/>{{rp|30}} The [[Social Gospel]] was a significant influence on the CCF.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://esask.uregina.ca/entry/social_gospel.jsp|title=The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan &#124; Details}}</ref>

[[File:CooperativeCommonwealthFederationFoundingMeeting.jpg|left|upright=1.5|thumb|CCF founding meeting, Calgary, 1932]]
At its founding convention in 1932 in Calgary, the party settled on the name "Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Farmer-Labour-Socialist)" and selected J. S. Woodsworth as party leader.{{sfnp|Morton|1986|p=12}} Woodsworth had been an [[Independent Labour Party (Manitoba, 1920)|Independent Labour Party]] MP since 1921 and a member of the Ginger Group of MPs. The party's 1933 convention, held in [[Regina, Saskatchewan]], adopted the [[Regina Manifesto]] as the party's program. The manifesto outlined a number of goals, including [[nationalization|public ownership]] of key industries, universal public [[pension]]s, [[universal health care]], children's allowances, [[Unemployment benefits|unemployment insurance]], and [[workers' compensation]].<ref name="Young_1969"/>{{rp|304–313}}

Its conclusion read, "No CCF Government will rest content until it has eradicated [[capitalism]] and put into operation the full programme of socialized planning which will lead to the establishment in Canada of the Co-operative Commonwealth."{{sfnp|Morton|1986|p=12}} The party affiliated itself with the [[Socialist International]].<ref name="Knuttila2007">{{cite book|author=Kenneth Murray Knuttila|title=The Prairie Agrarian Movement Revisited|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K03wdWJ3uLQC&pg=PA173|year=2007|publisher=University of Regina Press|isbn=978-0-88977-183-3|pages=173–}}</ref>

===Electoral performance===
[[Image:CCF Caucus meeting.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Federal CCF Caucus, in 1942 with new leader [[M. J. Coldwell|M.J. Coldwell]]. Left to right, [[Tommy Douglas]], [[George Hugh Castleden]], [[Angus MacInnis]], [[M. J. Coldwell|Coldwell]], [[Clarence Gillis|Clarie Gillis]], [[Joseph W. Noseworthy]], Sandy Nicholoson, and [[Percy Wright]].{{sfnp|Smith|1992|p=88}}]]
In line with Alberta's important role in founding the CCF, it is said that the first CCF candidate elected was [[Chester Ronning]] in the Alberta provincial constituency of Camrose, in October 1932.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mardiros |first=Anthony |title=William Irvine, The Life of a Prairie Radical |date=1979 |publisher=James Lorimer & Co |location=Toronto |url=https://archive.org/details/williamirvinelif0000mard |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/williamirvinelif0000mard/page/208 208] |isbn=978-0-8886-2237-2}}</ref> The UFA, under whose banner he contested the election, formalized its already-strong connection to the CCF in its next provincial convention, in January 1933.<ref>Champion Chronicle, January 26, 1933</ref>
 
In its first federal election, seven CCF MPs were elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] in [[1935 Canadian federal election|1935]]. Eight were elected in the following election in [[1940 Canadian federal election|1940]], including their first member east of Manitoba, [[Clarence Gillis]], in Cape Breton, a coal-mining area of Nova Scotia (specifically the federal riding of [[Cape Breton South (federal electoral district)|Cape Breton South]]).

The party was divided with the outbreak of [[World War II]]: Woodsworth was a [[pacifism|pacifist]], while many party members supported the Canadian war effort. Woodsworth had a physically debilitating stroke in May 1940 and could no longer perform his duties as leader.{{sfnp|McNaught|2001|pp=313–315}} In October, Woodsworth wrote a letter to the 1940 CCF convention, in essence asking to retire from the leadership.{{sfnp|McNaught|2001|pp=313–315}} Instead, the delegates created the new position of Honorary President, abolished the President's position and re-elected [[Major James Coldwell|M. J. Coldwell]] as the National Chairman.{{sfnp|McNaught|2001|pp=313–315}} Coldwell was then appointed acting House Leader on 6 November.{{sfnp|Stewart|2000|pp=244–245}} Woodsworth died on 21 March 1942, and Coldwell officially became the new leader at the July convention in Toronto and threw the party behind the war effort.{{sfnp|Stewart|2000|pp=244–245}} As a memorial to Woodsworth, Coldwell suggested that the CCF create a research foundation, and Woodsworth House was established in Toronto for that purpose.{{sfnp|McNaught|2001|pp=313–315}}

The party won a critical [[York South (federal electoral district)|York South]] [[by-election]] on 8 February 1942, and in the process prevented the [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative]] leader, former [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Arthur Meighen]], from entering the House of Commons.

In the [[1945 Canadian federal election|1945 election]], 28 CCF MPs were elected, and the party won 15.6% of the vote.

In the [[1949 Canadian federal election|1949 election]], 13 CCF candidates were elected. This was followed by 23 elected in the [[1953 Canadian federal election|1953 election]] and a disappointing eight elected in the [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958]] election. (In that election, the party took almost ten per cent of the vote so was due about 26 MPs proportionally.)

The party had its greatest success in provincial politics. 

In 1943, the [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section)|Ontario CCF]] became the official opposition in that province.

In [[1944 Alberta general election|1944]], the Alberta CCF took almost a quarter of all votes cast but due to lack of PR, were held to winning just two seats.

In 1944, the [[Saskatchewan New Democratic Party|Saskatchewan CCF]] formed the first democratic socialist government in [[North America]], with [[Tommy Douglas]] as [[Premier (Canada)|premier]]. Douglas introduced universal [[Medicare (Canada)|Medicare]] to [[Saskatchewan]], a policy that was soon adopted by other provinces and implemented nationally by the [[Liberal Party of Canada]] during the administration of Prime Minister [[Lester B. Pearson]]. Tommy Douglas's CCF governed Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961.

===New Party===
Federally, during the [[Cold War]], the CCF was accused of having [[Communism|Communist]] leanings. The party moved to address these accusations in 1956 by replacing the Regina Manifesto with a more moderate document, the [[Winnipeg Declaration]]. Nevertheless, the party did poorly in the [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958 federal election]], winning only eight seats.

After much discussion, the CCF and the [[Canadian Labour Congress]] decided to join forces to create a new political party that could make [[social democracy]] more popular with Canadian voters. This party, initially known as the [[New Party (Canada)|New Party]], became the [[New Democratic Party]] (NDP) in 1961.

==Electoral performance==
===House of Commons===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Election
! Leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! Position
! Status
|-
! [[1935 Canadian federal election|1935]]
| rowspan=2| [[J. S. Woodsworth|James Woodsworth]]
| 410,125
| 9.3
| {{Composition bar|7|245|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| {{increase}} 7
| {{increase}} 4th
| {{no2|Fourth party}}
|-
! [[1940 Canadian federal election|1940]]
| 388,103
| 8.4
| {{Composition bar|8|245|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
| {{increase}} 3rd
| {{no2|Fourth party}}
|-
! [[1945 Canadian federal election|1945]]
| rowspan=5 | [[Major James Coldwell]]
| 815,720
| 15.6
| {{Composition bar|28|245|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| {{increase}} 20
| {{steady}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1949 Canadian federal election|1949]]
| 784,770
| 13.4
| {{Composition bar|13|262|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| {{decrease}} 15
| {{steady}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1953 Canadian federal election|1953]]
| 636,310
| 11.3
| {{Composition bar|23|265|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| {{increase}} 10
| {{steady}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1957 Canadian federal election|1957]]
| 707,659
| 10.6
| {{Composition bar|25|265|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| {{increase}} 2
| {{steady}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|-
! [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958]]
| 692,398
| 9.5
| {{Composition bar|8|265|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| {{decrease}} 17
| {{steady}} 3rd
| {{no2|Third party}}
|}

==Organization==
The CCF estimated its membership as being slightly more than 20,000 in 1938, less than 30,000 in 1942, and over 90,000 in 1944.<ref name="Young_1969"/>{{rp|Appendix B, Table III, p. 320}} Membership figures declined following [[World War II]] to only 20,238 in 1950 and would never again reach 30,000<ref name="Young_1969"/>{{rp|Appendix B, Table III, p. 320}}

By the late 1940s, the CCF had official or unofficial weekly newspapers in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan; twice-monthly papers in Ontario and Manitoba; and a bimonthly in the Maritimes. A French-language paper in Quebec was also attempted at various times. The party also produced many educational books, pamphlets, and magazines, though these efforts declined in the 1950s.{{Cn|date=January 2022}}

===Party leaders===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" | Picture
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Term start
! scope="col" | Term end
! scope="col" | Riding as leader
! scope="col" | Notes
|-
| [[File:Ac.woodsworth.jpg|100px]] || [[J. S. Woodsworth]]|| 1 August 1932 || 21 March 1942 ||[[Winnipeg North Centre]], [[Winnipeg Centre]], MB|| "Temporary leader" from the party's founding meeting on August 1, 1932 until the founding convention in July 1933 when he was elected president (leader) of the CCF. Due to illness, Woodsworth ceased to be parliamentary leader in October 1940. He remained honorary president (leader) of the CCF until his death.<ref name=file>{{cite web |title=Co-operative Commonwealth Federation |website=Library of Parliament |publisher=Parliament of Canada |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/Files/Party.aspx?Item=12edf43c-e2be-4849-be6c-87131590112e&Language=E&MenuID=Lists.Party.aspx&MenuQuery=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parl.gc.ca%2Fparlinfo%2FLists%2FParty.aspx}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:M.J. Coldwell in 1944.jpg|100px]]|| [[Major James Coldwell|M. J. Coldwell]] || 29 July 1942|| 10 August 1960 ||[[Rosetown—Biggar (federal electoral district)|Rosetown—Biggar]], SK||Became parliamentary leader of the CCF in October 1940. Was unanimously elected party president (leader) at the CCF's national convention in Toronto in July 1942.<ref name=file/>
|-
| [[File:Hazen Argue.jpg|100px]] || [[Hazen Argue]] || 11 August 1960 || 2 August 1961 || [[Assiniboia (federal electoral district)|Assiniboia]], [[Wood Mountain (electoral district)|Wood Mountain]], SK||Chosen parliamentary leader by the CCF caucus after Coldwell lost his seat in the 1958 general election. Officially elected party leader, without opposition, at the CCF national convention in 1960.
|}

===National chairmen===

[[File:Claire Gillis, David Lewis, M.J.Coldwell c007253.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Four past and future National Chairmen in September 1944: National CCF delegation attending the Conference of Commonwealth Labour Parties in [[London]], England. ''Pictured from left to right'': [[Clarence Gillis|Clarie Gillis]], MP for [[Cape Breton South (federal electoral district)|Cape Breton South]]; [[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]], National Secretary; [[M.&nbsp;J. Coldwell]], National Leader, MP for [[Rosetown—Biggar (federal electoral district)|Rosetown—Biggar]]; [[Percy Wright|Percy E. Wright]], MP for [[Melfort (electoral district)|Melfort]]; and [[F.&nbsp;R. Scott]], national chairman.]]
The national chairman was the equivalent of party president in most Canadian political parties and was sometimes referred to as such, in that it was largely an organizational role. In the case of the CCF, the national chairman oversaw the party's national council and chaired its meetings. Following an initial period in which Woodsworth held both roles, it was usually distinct from and secondary to the position of party leader. National president originally was also a title the leader held, as both Woodsworth and Coldwell held the title when they held seats in the House of Commons. In 1958, after Coldwell lost his seat, the position of national chairman was merged formally into the president's title and was held by David Lewis.<ref name="Young_1969"/>{{rp|235}}

* [[J. S. Woodsworth]] (1932–38)
* [[Major James Coldwell|M. J. Coldwell]] (1938–42)
* [[F. R. Scott]] (1942–50)<ref name="1950 Convention">
{{Cite news
 | first     = Dennis
 | last      = Braithwaite
 | title     = C.C.F. Disavows Marx Class Struggle Idea, Tempers High in Debate
 | newspaper = [[The Toronto Star|The Toronto Daily Star]]
 | pages     = 1, 7
 | date      = 1950-07-29
}}
</ref>
* [[Percy Wright]] (1950–54)<ref name="1952 Convention">
{{Cite news
 | last      = Staff
 | title     = Make Own Foreign Policy, Follow U.N. CCF Meet Urges
 | newspaper = [[The Toronto Star|The Toronto Daily Star]]
 | pages     = 1, 2
 | date      = 1952-08-09
}}
</ref>
* [[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]] (1954–58){{sfnp|Stewart|2000|p=211}}
* [[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]] as party president (1958–61){{sfnp|Stewart|2000|p=211}}

===National secretaries===
The national secretary was a staff position (initially part-time, and then full-time beginning 1938) which was responsible for the day-to-day organizing of the party. The national secretary was the only full-time employee at the party's national headquarters until 1943, when a research director, [[Eugene Forsey]], and an assistant to the leader were hired.

* [[M. J. Coldwell]] (1934–36)
* [[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]] (1936–50)<ref name="1950 Convention"/>
* Lorne Ingle (1950–58)<ref name="Young_1969"/>{{rp|127}}{{sfnp|Smith|1989|p=294}}
* Carl Hamilton (1958–61){{sfnp|Stewart|2000|p=212}}

==CCF song==
[[File:Towards the Dawn.jpg|thumb|"Towards the Dawn!" – a 1930s promotional image from Saskatchewan]]
The CCF song would be later popularized by the movie ''[[Prairie Giant|Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story]]''.

First verse:

:''A call goes out to Canada''
:''It comes from out the soil—''
:''Come and join the ranks through all the land''
:''To fight for those who toil''
:''Come on farmer, soldier, labourer,''
:''From the mine and factory,''
:''And side by side we'll swell the tide—''
:''C.C.F. to Victory.''<ref>{{cite web |url= http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/election/en/images/big/77.jpg|title=Foreword|work=CCYM Sings  |publisher=Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists |access-date=2010-07-17}} CCYM is the Co-operative Commonwealth Youth Movement, the image is from a larger collection of scans in jpeg format.</ref>

==Provincial sections==
* [[Alberta New Democratic Party#Origins and early years|Alberta CCF]]
* [[British Columbia New Democratic Party#Co-operative Commonwealth Federation .28British Columbia Section.29|British Columbia CCF]]
* [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Manitoba Section)|Manitoba CCF]]
* [[New Brunswick New Democratic Party#Origins and early history|New Brunswick CCF]]
* [[New Democratic Party of Newfoundland and Labrador#Founding|Newfoundland CCF/Newfoundland Democratic Party]]
* [[Nova Scotia NDP#Co-operative Commonwealth Federation 1933-1961|Nova Scotia CCF]]
* [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section)|Ontario CCF]]
* [[PEI NDP#CCF|Prince Edward Island CCF]]
* [[Parti social démocratique du Québec]] (CCF in Quebec)
* [[Saskatchewan New Democratic Party#Co-operative Commonwealth Federation .28Saskatchewan Section.29|Saskatchewan CCF]]

==See also==
* [[List of articles about CCF/NDP members]]
* [[List of articles about British Columbia CCF/NDP members]]
* [[List of articles about Alberta CCF/NDP members]]
* [[List of articles about Saskatchewan CCF/NDP members]]
* [[List of articles about Manitoba CCF/NDP members]]
* [[List of articles about Ontario CCF/NDP members]]
* [[List of articles about Newfoundland and Labrador CCF/NDP members]]
* [[List of articles about Nova Scotia CCF/NDP members]]
* [[List of articles about Yukon NDP members]]
* [[Labour Party (Canada)]]
* [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]]
* [[United Farmers of Canada|United Farmers]]
* [[Canadian Labour Congress]]
* ''[[Paper Wheat]]''

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Avakumovic
  | first = Ivan
  | title = Socialism in Canada : a study of the CCF-NDP in federal and provincial politics
  | publisher = [[McClelland and Stewart]]
  | year = 1978
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-7710-0978-5
  | url = https://archive.org/details/socialismincanad00ivan
  }}
* {{Cite book
  | first = Dan
  | last = Azoulay
  | editor-last = Azoulay
  | editor-first = Dan
  | chapter = A Desperate Holding Action: The Survival of the Ontario CCF/NDP, 1948–1964
  | title = Canadian Political Parties: Historical Readings
  | year = 1999
  | pages = 342–363
  | place = Toronto
  | publisher = Irwin Publishing
  | isbn = 978-0-7725-2703-5
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Boyko
  | first = John
  | title = Into the Hurricane: Attacking Socialism and the CCF
  | publisher = J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing
  | year = 2006
  | location = Winnipeg, Canada
  | isbn = 978-1-897289-09-9
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/intohurricaneatt0000boyk
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Caplan
  | first = Gerald
  | author-link = Gerald Caplan
  | title = The Dilemma of Canadian Socialism: The CCF in Ontario
  | publisher = [[McClelland and Stewart]]
  | year = 1973
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-7710-1896-1
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/dilemmaofcanadia0000capl
  }}
* {{cite book|last1=Douglas|first1=T. C. (Tommy)|editor1-last=Thomas|editor1-first=L. H.|title=The Making of a Socialist|date=1982|publisher=University of Alberta Press|location=Edmonton|isbn=9780888640703|url=https://archive.org/details/makingofsocialis00doug}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Horowitz
  | first = Gad
  | author-link = Gad Horowitz
  | title = Canadian Labour in Politics
  | publisher = University of Toronto Press
  | year = 1968
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-8020-1902-8
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/canadianlabourin0000horo
  }}
* {{cite journal|last1=Lacroix|first1=Patrick|title=From ''Strangers'' to 'Humanity First': Canadian Social Democracy and Immigration Policy, 1932–1961|journal=Canadian Journal of History|date=2016|volume=51|issue=1|pages=58–82|doi=10.3138/cjh.ach.51.1.003|s2cid=147861807}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Lewis
  | first = David
  | title = The Good Fight: Political Memoirs 1909–1958
  | publisher = [[Macmillan of Canada]]
  | year = 1981
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-7715-9598-1
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Lewis
  | first1 = David
  | first2 = Frank 
  | last2 = Scott
  | title = Make this Your Canada: A Review of CCF History and Policy
  | publisher = Hybrid Publishers Co-operative Ltd.
  | orig-year = 1943 | year = 2001
  | location = Canada
  | isbn = 978-0-9689709-0-4
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = MacDonald
  | first = Donald C.
  | author-link = Donald C. MacDonald
  | title = The Happy Warrior: Political Memoirs
  | edition = 2
  | publisher = Dundurn Press
  | year = 1998
  | location = Toronto, ON, Canada
  | isbn = 978-1-55002-307-7 
  }}
* {{Cite book
  | last = McHenry
  | first = Dean Eugene
  | author-link = Dean McHenry
   | title = The Third Force in Canada; the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation 1932–1948
  | url = https://archive.org/details/thirdforceofcana0000unse
  | url-access = registration
  | publisher = University of California Press
  | year = 1950
  | location = Berkeley   
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = McLeod
  | first1 = Thomas
  | first2 = Ian 
  | last2 = McLeod
  | title = The Road to Jerusalem
  | edition = 2
  | publisher = Fifth House
  | year = 2004
  | location = Calgary
  | isbn = 978-1-894856-48-5 
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = McNaught
  | first = Kenneth
  | author-link = Kenneth McNaught
  | others = With a new introduction by Allen Mills
  | title = A Prophet in Politics: A Biography of J. S. Woodsworth
  | publisher = [[University of Toronto Press]]
  | year = 2001
  | edition = reprint
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn= 0-8020-3555-8 
  }}
* {{cite book|last1=Milligan|first1=Frank|title=Eugene A. Forsey: An Intellectual Biography|date=2004|publisher=University of Calgary Press|location=Calgary|isbn=9781552381182}}
* {{cite book|last1=Mills|first1=Allen|title=Fool for Christ: The Political Thought of J. S. Woodsworth|url=https://archive.org/details/foolforchristpol0000mill|url-access=registration|date=1991|publisher=University of Toronto Press|location=Toronto|isbn=9781442623354}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Morton
  | first = Desmond
  | title = The New Democrats: 1961–1986
  | edition= 3
  | publisher = Copp Clark Pitman Ltd
  | year = 1986
  | location = [[Toronto]]
  | isbn = 0-7730-4618-6 }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Penner
  | first = Norman
  | author-link = Norman Penner
  | title = Canadian Communism: the Stalin years and beyond
  | url = https://archive.org/details/canadiancommunis0000penn
  | url-access = registration
  | publisher = Methuen
  | year = 1988
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn= 978-0-458-81200-4}}
* {{cite book
  | first = Frank R.
  | last = Scott
  | author-link = F. R. Scott
  | year = 1986
  | title = A New Endeavour: Selected Political Essays, Letters, and Addresses
  | others = Edited and introduced by [[Michiel Horn]]
  | publisher = University of Toronto Press
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-8020-5672-6}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Shackleton
  | first = Doris French
  | title = Tommy Douglas
  | publisher = [[McClelland & Stewart]]
  | year = 1975
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-7710-8116-3
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/tommydouglas0000shac
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Smith
  | first = Cameron
  | title = Unfinished Journey: The Lewis Family
  | publisher = Summerhill Press
  | year = 1989
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-929091-04-4
  | url = https://archive.org/details/unfinishedjourne00smit
  }}
*{{Cite book
  | last = Smith
  | first = Cameron
  | title = Love & Solidarity: A Pictorial History of the NDP
  | publisher = [[McClelland & Stewart]]
  | year = 1992
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-7710-8209-2
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/lovesolidaritypi0000smit
  }}
* {{cite book
 | title     = Ask no quarter; a biography of Agnes Macphail
 | last1      = Stewart
 | first1     = Margaret
 | first2    = Doris
 | last2     = French (Shackleton)
 | year      = 1959
 | publisher = Longmans, Green
 | location  = Toronto
 | url       = https://archive.org/details/asknoquarter0000unse
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Stewart
  | first = Walter
  | author-link =Walter Stewart (journalist)
  | title = M.J.: The Life and Times of M.J. Coldwell
  | url = https://archive.org/details/mjlifetimesofmjc0000stew
  | url-access = registration
  | publisher = Stoddart Publishing Co. Limited
  | year = 2000
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-0-7737-3232-2
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Stewart
  | first = Walter
  | title = Tommy: the life and politics of Tommy Douglas
  | publisher = McArthur & Company
  | year = 2003
  | location = Toronto
  | isbn = 978-1-55278-382-5
  }}
* {{cite book|last1=Trofimenkoff|first1=Susan Mann|title=Stanley Knowles: The Man from Winnipeg North Centre|url=https://archive.org/details/stanleyknowlesma0000trof|url-access=registration|date=1982|publisher=Western Producer Prairie Books|location=Saskatoon|isbn=9780888331007}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040216003527/http://www.mta.ca/faculty/arts/canadian_studies/english/about/study_guide/roots/index.html The Prairie Roots of Canada's Political 'Third Parties']
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tommy-douglas-greatest-canadian-feature Tommy Douglas: "Greatest Canadian"] feature article from the ''[[Canadian Encyclopedia]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050425030506/http://www2.marianopolis.edu/quebechistory/readings/ccf-ndp.htm The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the New Democratic Party (NDP): their Failure in Quebec, 1932–1997]

=== Archives ===
* [http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=105674&lang=eng Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and New Democratic Party fonds] at [[Library and Archives Canada]].
* [https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv72973 George E. Rennar Papers]. 1933–1972. 37.43 cubic feet. Contains ephemera on the Congress of Industrial Organizations from 1945 to 1947. [https://lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/laws At the Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Special Collections].

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = [[Ginger Group (Canada)|Ginger Group]] | title = Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | years = 1932–1961 | after = [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Canadian federal political parties}}
{{NDP}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Co-operative Commonwealth Federation| ]]
[[Category:1932 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:1961 disestablishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Agrarian parties in Canada]]
[[Category:Defunct agrarian political parties]]
[[Category:Federal political parties in Canada]]
[[Category:Former member parties of the Socialist International]]
[[Category:Labour history of Canada]]
[[Category:History of the New Democratic Party (Canada)]]
[[Category:Political history of Canada]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1961]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1932]]
[[Category:Social democratic parties in Canada]]