Fascism in Canada
Fascism in Canada primarily emerged during the economically challenging 1930s, gaining attention in provinces such as Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. The movement was characterized by its anti-Semitic, anti-communist, and nationalist ideologies, with prominent figures like Adrien Arcand leading the National Social Christian Movement in Quebec. While there was some support from unassimilated German and Italian immigrant communities, and small fascist organizations formed in cities like Toronto and Winnipeg, overall support remained limited and marginalized within Canadian society.
The onset of World War II significantly diminished fascist activity, leading to the suppression of these organizations and the arrest of many of their leaders. Despite its historical decline, concerns about fascism's resurgence began to surface in the 2020s, fueled by factors such as economic hardships, divisive politics in the U.S., and social unrest related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The trucker protests in 2022 were seen by some as indicative of far-right sentiments gaining traction in Canada. As political dynamics shift, particularly with the rise of conservative parties and fears of extremist policies, the legacy of fascism continues to evoke caution and debate among Canadians.
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Fascism in Canada
In Canada, as in several other countries in the world, fascism was largely a phenomenon of the economically destitute 1930s. Fascist organizations appeared and gained limited support, which quickly waned once World War II had begun. The main areas of fascist support in Canada during the 1930s were in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Underlying its limited popularity was its message of anti-Semitism, anticommunism, and nationalism. Because of these sentiments, even those who did not belong to a fascist organization and would never have considered joining one found fascism less of a threat to Canadian values and society than communism. Anti-Semitic feeling was widespread in Canada during the 1930s.
Fascism among French Canadians was centered in the province of Quebec and was strongly anti-Semitic in character. The leader of the Quebec movement was the charismatic Adrien Arcand. His organization, the National Social Christian Movement, was the most successful fascist movement in Canada during this period, although it still remained outside the mainstream of French Canadian society. Its anti-Semitic and anticommunist values, however, were shared by many in the province.
Fascism also had supporters among Germans and Italians who had emigrated to Canada but still remained unassimilated into Canadian society. Levels of support were never high in either the German or Italian communities, and the movements were dependent on support from Germany and Italy. In the 1920s, Italian consulates in Canada began a campaign promoting fascism. In 1934, the Deutscherbund Canada was created by German diplomats in an effort to disseminate the Nazi message among German-speaking citizens; it would eventually have two thousand members. Once the war began, however, it was suppressed, and in 1940, several hundred German and Italian fascists were arrested and interned for the duration of World War II.
In English-speaking Canada, support for fascism was centered in the cities of Toronto and Winnipeg. In the former, several small fascist organizations, motivated chiefly by anti-Semitism, formed. In 1933, an anti-Semitic display led to a violent clash between Toronto Jews and fascists. In Manitoba, a region in Canada with a history of hostility toward non-British immigrants, the Canadian Nationalist Party formed under the leadership of William Whittaker. Anti-Semitism and anticommunism were important themes in Whittaker’s party, which had a swastika surrounded by the Canadian maple leaf as its symbol. Again, however, support for this organization was marginal.
In 1938, to widespread publicity, Arcand and a fascist leader from Ontario announced the merging of their parties into a single body, the National Unity Party, with the motto “Canada for Canadians” and Arcand as leader. A few days later, Nazi Germany absorbed Austria. By the end of the 1930s, with Canadians increasingly alarmed at the prospects of war with fascist Germany, support for fascism dropped. Once the war began, fascist organizations were outlawed, and in 1940, leaders such as Arcand found themselves arrested and interned by the Canadian government.
Still, as fascist ideology lived on into the twenty-first century in countries all over the world, Canadians had grown increasingly concerned of a resurgence by the 2020s as well. Though not as prevalent within Canada as in other countries, right-wing movements had gained greater traction, particularly as people were greatly frustrated by the pressures and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. In addition to potentially influential American politics turning more divisive and fascist beliefs of nationalism and White supremacy growing in that nearby country during the presidency of Donald Trump (2017–2021), Canadians were also facing domestic and economic hardships due to the restrictions put in place to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2022, many saw the convoy of truckers who protested COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa as a representation of extreme, far-right protest because of several participants' presentation of the government as fascist and oppressive of their freedoms. With the reelection of Donald Trump in 2024, many fear that facist supporters and White supremacists will grow even more emboldened. Further, the 2024 special election held in Canada saw conservatives win in a liberal stronghold and many believe that the conservative party will do well in the next election, with some fearing far-right extremist policies.
Bibliography
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Blondeau, Erin. “Fascists Movements Are Growing Strong in Canada.” Rabble, 20 Feb. 2024, rabble.ca/columnists/fascist-movements-are-growing-strong-in-canada/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Iacovetta, Franca, Roberto Perin, and Angelo Principe. Enemies Within: Italian and Other Internees in Canada and Abroad. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2000.
Nadeau, Jean-François, et al. The Canadian Führer: The Life of Adrien Arcand. Toronto: Lorimer, 2011.
Nelson, Kristin. "Who's Drawn to Fascism? Postwar Study of Authoritarianism Makes a Comeback." CBC, 4 Apr. 2022, www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/who-s-drawn-to-fascism-postwar-study-of-authoritarianism-makes-a-comeback-1.6403074. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Robin, Martin. Shades of Right: Nativist and Fascist Politics in Canada, 1920–1940. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1992.
Salvatore, Filippo. Fascism and the Italians of Montreal: An Oral History, 1922–1945. Toronto: Guernica, 1998.
"Why the Word 'Freedom' Is Such a Useful Rallying Cry for Protesters." CBC, 13 Feb. 2022, www.cbc.ca/radio/checkup/what-s-your-reaction-to-the-ottawa-standoff-and-the-border-blockades-1.6349636/why-the-word-freedom-is-such-a-useful-rallying-cry-for-protesters-1.6349865. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.