Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) was founded in Calgary in 1932 as a political party to represent progressive farmer, socialist and labour forces, and to implement their agenda of nationalization of key industries, universal old-age pensions, health insurance, children’s allowances, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation and other social welfare measures. J. S.Woodsworth, a long-serving Member of Parliament and social welfare activist, became the CCF’s first President at its initial convention in Regina in 1933. At the provincial level, the CCF government in Saskatchewan implemented important social welfare measures in 1944, and the first provincial medicare plan in 1962. At the federal level, the CCF never formed a national government, but its policies contributed greatly to the national hospital and medical services insurance programs.

The founding meeting of a new political party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), Calgary, Alberta, 1932. Women are well represented in the party that advocated nationalized health care.
Library and Archives Canada, C-029313