Alberta Non-Partisan League | |
|---|---|
| Former provincial party | |
 | |
| Founded | 1916 |
| Dissolved | July 15, 1919 |
| Merged into | United Farmers of Alberta |
| Headquarters | 204-205 Leeson & Lineham Block Calgary, Alberta |
| Ideology | Populism Collectivism |
| Colours | Red |
The Alberta Non-Partisan League was a minor provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. The League changed its name in 1917 to the Non-Partisan Political League of Canada: Alberta Branch as it prepared to move into federal politics, and then changed its name again to the Farmers Non-Partisan Political League.
Taking inspiration from the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota, a farmers movement that took control of the state Republican Party in 1916, the Alberta League was formed to promote the active interest of farmers in the political arena. It was felt that the Liberal and Conservative parties, federal and provincial, were not serving the interests of farmers. The Non-Partisan League conducted extensive meetings with interested farmers across rural Alberta and was socialist in inclination under the influence of William Irvine.[1][2]
In the 1917 provincial election, four League members stood as candidates: Louise McKinney in Claresholm, James Weir in Nanton, J.E. Hillier in Pincher Creek and John W. Leedy in Gleichen.[3] Lorne Proudfoot and several other reform-minded candidates also ran as affiliated independent/labour candidates (through the NPL co-sponsored Labor Representation League).
McKinney and Weir were elected to sit in the legislature. Hillier finished third in a tight three-way race. Leedy placed third.
In the months that followed, the party became active in federal politics. This decision was made at a 1917 convention in Calgary, when the Non-Partisan Political League of Canada was founded. It nominated three candidates in the December 1917 federal election, all running in Alberta ridings; none were elected.
The league continued organizational efforts for the next few years, gathering a sizeable campaign fund, holding town hall meetings, and increasing its membership. The league's political activities and its two MLAs pushed the United Farmers of Alberta to either enter electoral politics or face being eclipsed by the NPL. The UFA decided to launch a political arm and, in 1919, absorbed the NPL.[2] The ground work and organization done by the league helped the UFA win a 1919 provincial by-election, a 1921 federal by-election, and the 1921 provincial election, when it was elected government of the province, taking a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. The UFA also elected every candidate it ran in the 1921 Canadian federal election.
The work of the NPL organization was recorded in the pages of the Alberta Non-Partisan, edited by William Irvine.[4]
- ^ Anthony Mardiros (1979). William Irvine: The Life of a Prairie Radical. p. 56. ISBN 9780888622372.
- ^ a b "Rise to power". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ Anthony Mardiros (1979). William Irvine: The Life of a Prairie Radical. p. 61. ISBN 9780888622372.
- ^ Alberta Non-Partisan, Peel's Prairie Provinces website https://archive.org/details/peel_newspapers?query=identifier%3AANP_*&sort=date&tab=collection