Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party is a political party in Canada.
Background
Initially, the party supported of the monetary system known as Social Credit. Developed by British engineer C.H. Douglas, the idea was to provide debt-free monetary handouts to citizens in order to combat the diminishment of purchasing power. Soon after its inception, however, it shifted its focus towards the Christian right, social conservatism and conservative agrarianism, largely abandoning the social credit system.
The party's leader, Réal Caouette, has stirred controversy for his vocal support for Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, turning many potential supporters away. However, they still see moderate support in Quebec and Western Canada.
Trivia
The Social Credit Party existed in Canada between 1935 and 1993. It saw moderate success federally, although it never gained any higher than third-party status in the House of Commons. By far, its most successful branch was in Alberta after the 1935 provincial election. It won the following nine elections before being defeated by Peter Lougheed's Progressive Conservatives in 1971. After this, the Alberta branch quickly faded into obscurity until it was de facto dissolved in 2017. Alberta's Social Credit Party was the first social credit government in the world.
British Columbia also had a long running Social Credit government, from 1952 until 1972 and again from 1975 until 1991. Much like its Alberta and Federal counterparts, the party lost support significantly, although it remains an active party in BC to this day. However, it has not had a permanent leader since 2001.