| Subject: | Re: [socialcredit] Question: William Chant | | Date: | Saturday, September 8, 2007 20:33:49 (-0400) | | From: | Joe Thomson <thomsonhiyu @....ca>
|
| In reply to: | Message 5011 (written by william_b_ryan) |
Bill, William Chant had the unique distinction of having been a MLA and
Cabinet Minister in Premier Aberhart's first Alberta Social Credit
government, and then, much later on, a MLA and Cabinet Minister for many
years in WAC Bennett's BC Social Credit League government.
In the second Appendix to Douglas's "The Alberta Experiment" he is listed
as Aberhart's Minister of Agriculture. I believe there was some 'dissention
in the ranks' during Aberhart's first term in office, and he resigned from
Cabinet, and possibly his seat in the Alberta Legislature, too.
Whether this was over the 'progress', (or lack of same), towards trying to
bring in Douglas 'social credit' in Alberta, (before Byrne came out from
England), or over some other matter, I really don't know. Wally may have
more information on that. Chant subsequently left Alberta and moved to BC in
any case.
In BC, Chant was Bennett's Minister of Public Works for many years. This
became a somewhat minor portfolio in that era, the responsibilities for
public highways having been transferred by Bennett to a separate Ministry of
Highways, long under the control of the Rev. Philip A Gaglardi. Who was an
exteremly effective Minister, easily the most popular in WAC Bennett's
Cabinet, until one scandal too many caught up with him. Gaglardi wouldn't
have known the first thing about Douglas 'social credit', but he built some
tremendous highways and was a tremendous 'populist' and orator.
Chant, along with a number of other Ministers in the WAC Bennett regime,
ones who may well have had a much better understanding of 'social credit',
(Eric Martin, Lyle Wicks, and a few others), were often regarded as sort of
political 'seat-warmers'. The real 'power' in the running of their
respective Ministries resided with Premier WAC Bennett.
The BC Legislature did not have a Hansard in the WAC Bennett era, so likely
the only record of what Chant was trying to put across in his annual 'A+B'
lecture might be found in the archives of one of the newspapers that had
correspondents in the Legislative press gallery. If any of them qouted
correctly and printed at any length what he was actually on about. Which,
considering the attitude of the press towards 'Social Credit' here at that
time, I seriously doubt.
David Mitchell wrote a comprehensive biography and history of the WAC
Bennett era, and was, long after WAC had passed from the scene, briefly a BC
MLA (BC Liberal Party) himself.
Joe
----- Original Message -----
From: <william_b_ryan@yahoo.com>
To: <socialcredit@elistas.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2007 1:13 PM
Subject: [socialcredit] Question: William Chant
> In my research I've come across this essay, *The Good
> Old Days? W. A. C. Bennett and the Legislative
> Assembly* by David Mitchell.
> http://www.parl.gc.ca/Infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=104&art=516
>
> with this reference:
>
> "...There were old-time Socreds like William Chant,
> who could be relied upon each session for a major
> address on Social Credit monetary theory. The
> opposition ranks would invariably shout in unison: 'A
> plus B! A plus B!'"
>
> Question: Especially to Joe Thompson. Do you know
> anything about William Chant? Presumably his
> addresses are buried in the Legislative Assembly's
> archives. Are they available online?
>
>
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
________
> Need a vacation? Get great deals
> to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel.
> http://travel.yahoo.com/
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Some introductory materials to the discussion topic of this list are at
> http://www.geocities.com/socredus/compendium
> You're subscribed to this list with the email thomsonhiyu@shaw.ca
> For more information, visit http://www.eListas.com/list/socialcredit
|
Re: [socialcredit]
Reply to this message