The Icelandic Canadian - 01.08.2009, Side 41

Vol. 62 #3
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
131
the media that they had passed a unani-
mous motion condemning Fox’s actions
while “telephone calls, letters and
telegrams poured in on the doctor.”
"I am convinced that Dr. Fox pulled a
fast one,” stated William Leask, chairman
of the meeting and president of the
Assiniboia Social Credit group. (“)Dr. Fox
figured he would fix things for himself by
becoming minister of health, and he didn’t
think of the constitution of the Manitoba
Social Credit league.’’...(others such as)
A.C. Benjamin, secretary of the Manitoba
Social Credit league, said the executive of
the league could hardly believe “it was
true” when newspapers reported Dr. Fox’s
Flin Flon statement...
In keeping with the feelings of most
Manitoba Social Credit supporters,
Halldorson publicly condemned Fox’s
announcement. Hoping to stop the coali-
tion before it was made public; she board-
ed a train for Edmonton to personally con-
fer with Premier Aberhart and to state her
opposition. Unfortunately for Halldorson,
Fox announced the coalition while she was
en route to Edmonton. She learned of the
announcement during a stop over in
Saskatoon after a reporter from the
Saskatoon Star-Phoenix approached her at
the train station. An angry Halldorson told
the reporter that she and the rest of the
Manitoba party refused to support either
Fox or Bracken.
Social Credit Party Will Support
Bracken According to Leader- Denial
that the Manitoba Social Credit Party
will support the Liberal Progressive
government emphatically made by
Miss S. Haldorson (sic) who made a
brief stop in Saskatoon . . .“I wish to
deny that completely,” she said, refer-
ring to the Star-Phoenix’s morning
paper report that Manitoba’s Social
Creditors had lined up with Bracken."
I am also of the opinion that other
members of the party will not agree to
giving support. I wired Dr. Fox yes-
terday stating my disapproval of join-
ing with the Bracken party.”
Following her meeting with Aberhart,
however, Halldorson rescinded on her
public opposition to the merge and
announced that she and the Social Credit
League would provide the Bracken govern-
ment with the necessary support within the
tenets of Social Credit philosophy.
Although she agreed to support Aberhart’s
scheme, she pushed him again in 1940 to
allow the Manitoba party to dissolve the
informal coalition, writing “there is talk of
an election in any case- and I think myself
that it is hard to estimate the effect of such
a stand on our part.” Later in her brief
autobiography, however, Halldorson
downplayed both her own opposition as
well as that of the broader Social Credit
membership to the merge.
In the first place I was against
(Bracken’s) request and I disliked it so
much that I went to Edmonton to
confer with Mr. Aberhart. At the time
Mr. Aberhart was was confident that
Social Credit would take hold in
Alberta in the following eighteen
months and he saw clearly that if Mr.
Bracken was dependent on our sup-
port then we could (force him to
implement Social Credit policy.) . . .
Afterwards there were no complaints
from my constituents, although it was
reported as a betrayal, especially by
the opponents of Social Credit.
Although this controversial merge may
appear as a footnote in Depression-era
Manitoba politics, Halldorson’s role as a
public dissenter in the Social Credit party is
significant given the repressive political
atmosphere within the movement. Dissent
within the party was not well-received and
serious censure and reportedly, physical
violence faced those who went against the
party. Prior to his defeat by Edith Rogers,
another female Social Credit MLA,
Premier Brownlee of Alberta nervously
recalled his own encounter with hostile
Social Credit party members during an
election speech in Waterglen in 1934.
(When) I began to tell them in all
sincerity what I thought of Social
Credit. A group of big fellows near
the door then left the hall, slamming
the door violently as they went out.
Some of them got into cars and start-
ed to blow horns. Others got logs and
began pounding the walls and doors