The United Farmers of Alberta (UFA), although primarily known as a provincial political movement, played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of Alberta and Canada in the early 20th century, particularly in representing the interests of agrarian communities in Western Canada. The UFA originated as an agrarian protest organization, formed in 1909 by farmers in Alberta who were dissatisfied with the political and economic systems that they felt were dominated by urban and industrial interests. The primary grievances of these farmers were high transportation costs, tariffs on farm machinery and goods, and a lack of political representation for rural communities in the face of growing urbanization and industrialization. The UFA began as a grassroots organization advocating for the economic interests of Alberta’s farmers, with a focus on cooperative economics and the creation of rural cooperatives to give farmers more control over their livelihoods.
Initially, the UFA was not a political party but a farmers’ advocacy group dedicated to improving the lives of its members through economic cooperation. It established cooperatives for buying and selling farm products, as well as cooperative grain elevators, which allowed farmers to pool their resources and reduce their reliance on middlemen and corporations. The organization’s early efforts were focused on promoting agrarian interests through non-partisan means, but by the 1920s, its leadership became increasingly convinced that the political system needed reform to better represent farmers' needs. This shift toward political action reflected broader trends in Western Canada at the time, where farmers’ organizations were becoming disillusioned with the traditional political parties, the Liberals and Conservatives, which they felt were dominated by business and Eastern Canadian interests.
The UFA formally entered politics in 1919, when it became a political party and contested the 1921 Alberta provincial election. The UFA’s platform was based on the principles of agrarian populism, emphasizing democratic control of the economy, rural development, and public ownership of key industries. The party called for lower tariffs, government regulation of transportation and utilities, and policies that would promote the welfare of rural communities. The UFA also advocated for progressive taxation and public control of natural resources, which resonated with Alberta’s farmers, who felt that the existing political system favored urban and industrial interests at their expense.
In a surprising and overwhelming victory, the UFA won the 1921 provincial election, securing 38 of the 61 seats in the Alberta legislature and forming a majority government. Herbert Greenfield, a farmer and businessman, became the first Premier from the UFA. However, Greenfield struggled with the complexities of governing, and his tenure was marked by political instability and economic challenges. Greenfield resigned in 1925 and was succeeded by John E. Brownlee, a more dynamic leader who would guide the UFA government through the remainder of the 1920s and the early years of the Great Depression.
Under Brownlee’s leadership, the UFA government implemented several significant reforms aimed at improving the lives of Alberta’s rural population. The government promoted the development of rural infrastructure, including roads, schools, and agricultural research stations, and it sought to modernize Alberta’s agricultural economy. The UFA government also pushed for public ownership of utilities and natural resources, which reflected the party’s belief that certain key industries should be controlled by the public for the benefit of all, rather than left to private corporations. This included the creation of the Alberta Wheat Pool, a farmer-controlled cooperative that aimed to give producers more control over the marketing of their grain. However, Brownlee’s government was limited in its ability to address the deeper structural economic problems facing Alberta’s farmers, particularly the issue of low commodity prices and high transportation costs.
While the UFA enjoyed early success in Alberta, its influence in federal politics was more limited. Many members of the UFA were active in the broader United Farmers movement that spread across Canada in the early 20th century. This movement included organizations such as the United Farmers of Ontario and the United Farmers of Manitoba, which similarly sought to represent the interests of rural communities and advocate for economic and political reforms. The UFA and other United Farmers organizations often aligned with the Progressive Party of Canada, a federal political party that represented the interests of farmers and agrarian communities across the country. In the 1921 federal election, several UFA members were elected to the House of Commons as part of the Progressive Party’s caucus, but the UFA never became a significant independent force in federal politics.
The UFA’s political dominance in Alberta began to unravel in the early 1930s, as the Great Depression brought severe economic hardship to the province’s farmers. Falling commodity prices, drought, and widespread unemployment led to growing discontent with the UFA government, which struggled to address the economic crisis. Brownlee’s government became increasingly unpopular, and a personal scandal involving the Premier in 1934 further weakened the party’s standing. In the 1935 provincial election, the UFA was decisively defeated by William Aberhart’s Social Credit Party, which promised radical economic reforms to address the economic crisis. The UFA won no seats in the election and subsequently withdrew from politics, returning to its roots as a cooperative organization.
Despite its withdrawal from electoral politics, the UFA continued to play an important role in Alberta’s rural economy. The organization refocused on its cooperative activities, particularly in the areas of grain marketing, fuel distribution, and farm supplies. The UFA became a major player in the cooperative movement in Canada, providing farmers with essential services and products at lower costs than they could obtain from private companies. Today, the UFA Cooperative Limited remains one of the largest agricultural cooperatives in Canada, with a network of retail locations, fuel stations, and agricultural supply services throughout Alberta.
The UFA’s political philosophy was rooted in agrarian populism, which emphasized the importance of rural communities and the need for government policies that supported the economic and social welfare of farmers. The UFA believed in cooperative economics, where farmers could band together to control the marketing and distribution of their products, thereby reducing their reliance on middlemen and increasing their economic power. The UFA also believed in public ownership of key industries, particularly utilities and natural resources, which they argued should be controlled by the government to prevent private corporations from exploiting the public for profit. While the UFA was often associated with left-leaning economic policies, it was also deeply conservative in its social values, reflecting the rural and religious character of Alberta’s farming communities.
The UFA’s successes in the 1920s, particularly in Alberta, demonstrated the potential of agrarian populism to challenge the political dominance of traditional parties and give a voice to rural Canadians who felt marginalized by urban and industrial interests. However, the party’s failure to adapt to the economic and political challenges of the 1930s, particularly during the Great Depression, led to its decline and eventual exit from politics. The rise of Social Credit in Alberta, which offered a more radical economic solution to the problems of the Depression, marked the end of the UFA’s political influence.
In summary, the United Farmers of Alberta was a significant political and cooperative movement that emerged in response to the economic and political grievances of Alberta’s farmers in the early 20th century. While it achieved considerable success at the provincial level, governing Alberta for over a decade, its influence in federal politics was more limited. The UFA’s political philosophy, based on agrarian populism, cooperative economics, and public ownership, reflected the concerns of rural communities struggling to maintain their livelihoods in the face of economic challenges and political neglect. Today, while the UFA no longer plays a role in electoral politics, its legacy continues through its cooperative activities, which remain a vital part of Alberta’s agricultural economy.
Cite Article : Reference: www.canadahistory.com/sections/documents/documents.html
Source: NA