| Subject: | Re: [socialcredit] Question for Martin: William Chant | | Date: | Sunday, September 9, 2007 16:52:27 (-0400) | | From: | Joe Thomson <thomsonhiyu @....ca>
|
| In reply to: | Message 5013 (written by Martin Hattersley) |
Thanks for the additional details about Chant's time in Aberhart's Cabinet,
Martin. I thought I recalled reading that he had been expelled "by
Order-in Council" somewhere, but until you mentioned the Hughes book, I
couldn't remember where.
This seems like an unusual way for a Premier to remove a member of his
Cabinet. Usually they just dismiss the Minister, or ask for his
resignation, do they not? Why would it have taken an "Order-in -Council" to
remove Chant? Did Chant's Cabinet colleagues 'gang-up' on him, and the
Premier, and force him out?
Chant settled on Vancouver Island, near Victoria, in Esquimalt, after moving
to BC, and at one point was nominated to be the newly formed BC Social
Credit League's leader. Which he declined. There seemed to be some
lingering animosity amongst some ex-Alberta BC Socreds against him for
whatever had happened in Alberta.
Joe
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Hattersley" <hattersleyjm@interbaun.com>
To: <socialcredit@elistas.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2007 5:39 PM
Subject: Re: [socialcredit] Question: William Chant
> There's some mention of Chant in John Hughes' book on Major Douglas
> (pp.152-3, 157)
>
> It deals with the conflict between the Provincial Planning Committee,
> influenced by John Hargraves, urging defiance of the constitutional
control
> of banking by the Federal Government, and the "cold feet" of the Aberhart
> cabinet, thwarted by their attempts to bring in monetary reform by
> legislation being disallowed.
>
> Chant, Minister of Agriculture, took the conservative view that the
> constitution should be respected. He apparently was expelled from cabinet
at
> that time by Order in Council. I don't have any record of his activities
> after that event.
>
> The account of what happened in Alberta after Aberhart's election forms a
> chapter in the Hughes book, and contains information I haven't met
> elsewhere - particularly about Hargrave's visit, and its influence on the
> setting up of the Social Credit Board, and the "insurrection" of a number
of
> MLA's. Well worth a read.
>
> Martin Hattersley
> 5929 - 189 St., NW
> EDMONTON AB CANADA T6M 2J1
> (780)483-5442
> e-mail:jmartinh@shaw.ca
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Thomson" <thomsonhiyu@shaw.ca>
> To: <socialcredit@elistas.com>
> Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2007 6:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [socialcredit] Question: William Chant
>
>
> > 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?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
____________________________________________________________________________
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