In 1944, Saskatchewan became the first Canadian province to elect a Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) majority government. To counteract the CCF potentially winning Canada’s 1945 federal election, R. T. Ferguson [perhaps of Seagram Company Limited, see note following description] offers a critique of the party’s platform, leaders, and socialist ties. These critiques are issued through the story of William Richard Hamilton, a young Canadian initially enamored with the CCF. When Hamilton is deployed overseas during WWII, however, he realizes the dangers of socialist governments. Hamilton investigates the CCF’s claims more closely, voicing a warning to voters. Socialism’s “foreign” ties are particularly prevalent – Ferguson demonstrates the high percentage of CCF candidates born or educated outside of Canada, and suggests that recent immigrants are most susceptible to the CCF’s promises. [This attitude towards immigrants echoes that of Stephen Leacock, whose history of Canada was commissioned by Seagram's during WWII and handled, in part, by Ferguson]. Peel(3) 6734.
