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Robert N. Thompson
and Political Realignment
by
Geoffrey Olson
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Robert Thompson (b. 1914) grew up in Innisfail, Alberta, during the 1920s.
His political career began with his nomination as the Social Credit candidate in
1935. Unfortunately for this ambitious young man, he had not yet reached the age
of majority, so Premier William Aberhart did not approve his nomination. This
minor setback did not stop Thompson from becoming Youth Leader for Social
Credit, and he actively campaigned for Social Credit until he could run for the
party.
However, Thompson's political ambitions were again delayed in 1940, after his
name was put forward with three other potential candidates for the federal
riding of Red Deer. Thompson maintains that he withdrew for two reasons: (1) he
felt that Jack Shaw could best represent the riding; and (2) that he had an
obligation to volunteer with the RCAF to fight against the Axis Powers in WWII. After joining the RCAF, Thompson eventually received a posting that had
long-term implications for his career. In February 1944, the air force posted
him as commander of the newly formed Imperial Ethiopian Air Force. This
appointment led to a 15-year public service career in Ethiopia and the
Sudan. Perhaps the highlight of these early years was accompanying the Duke of Harar on a trip to Europe and North America. Thompson had the enviable
opportunity to introduce the duke to his home town of Innisfail. While a
highlight for Thompson and Innisfail, this excursion also introduced the nation
to Robert Thompson.
In 1958, Thompson returned to Alberta from Africa. Over the next few years he
re-acquainted himself with the Social Credit party. In 1961, he became president
of the Federal Social Credit party and Leader of the federal party. In an era of
dynamic politics, Thompson played the role of a pawn in a game that stretched
beyond his political career. Thompson was Premier Ernest Mannin'=s hand-picked
leader of the national Social Credit forces, and in 1962 the people of Red Deer
elected him their Member of Parliament. Thompson's rise to power led to a split
with the Quebec wing, the Créditistes, led by Réal Caouette. While Thompson was
willing to lead by Manning's example, Caouette was a charismatic leader who
often overshadowed Thompson in the House of Commons. Caouette also followed the
teaching of Major Douglas, something the Alberta wing had eliminated after
Aberhart's death.
By the mid-1960s Ernest Manning had become increasingly concerned with the
direction political ideology was heading in Canada. The apparent move to the
left by Pearson worried Manning, who was a staunch anti-socialist. The country
moved away from the traditional liberal/conservative philosophies of a passive
role in the social welfare system to an activist role. This troubled the
provincial premier. Manning had a black-and-white view of political ideology, so
his policies and speeches addressed the need to avoid communism in any form and
oppose help for any socialist/communist country. Through this he developed a
significant idea about Canada's political landscape. He believed that the
Liberals and Conservatives were moving too far to the left. Manning also
believed that two distinct political parties could better serve Canadian's
interests than five or six could. One way to achieve this was to develop two
distinct political parties, one of a socialist nature and the other a
conservative nature. Manning believed that a two-party system would provide the
electorate with a clear choice on which ideology should form the government.
During 1967-68 Manning entered into negotiations with factions of the federal
Progressive Conservative party to achieve this ideological goal. The anticipated
result was the apparent amalgamation of the two national parties. Unfortunately,
these negotiations failed, but Thompson played a symbolic role in the 1968
election. While Manning's negotiations did not lead to an understanding between
the two parties, it did allow Thompson to run as the Conservative candidate for
Red Deer in 1968. In May 1968, Thompson announced that he would seek the
Progressive Conservative nomination for the federal riding of Red Deer. He not
only achieved the support of Ernest Manning in this endeavour, but the Social
Credit party executive voted to support him by a count of 14 to 1. However, the
local Progressive Conservative party association bitterly opposed him.
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