Editing Canada First

{{Short description|19th century Canadian nationalists}}
The '''Canada First''' movement is a [[Canadian nationalist]] movement organized in 1868<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-first|title=Canada First {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> that promoted the British Protestant component as central to Canadian identity. It was at first supported by [[Goldwin Smith]] and [[Edward Blake]]. Ontario residents, [[George Denison (Canadian politician)|George Denison]], [[Charles Mair]], [[William Alexander Foster]] and [[Robert Grant Haliburton]] founded the movement.<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Vigod
  | first = B.L.
  | title = Canada First
|publisher=   [[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]
  | year = 2010
  | url = https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-first
  | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110720014920/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001229
  | archive-date = 2011-07-20
  | access-date = 2010-04-21}}
</ref> 

[[John Christian Schultz]], [[Canadian Party]] founder, became a leading member of the Canadian Party and was a chief opponent of [[Louis Riel]].<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Siamandas
  | first = George
  | title = John Christian Shultz One of Manitoba's Colourful Businessmen Becomes Lieut. Gov
  | url = http://siamandas.com/time_machine/PAGES/early_manitoba/JOHN_SCHULTZ.htm
  | access-date =2010-04-21}}
</ref><ref>{{Citation
  | title = Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online: Schultz, Sir John Christian 
|publisher=University of Toronto
  | year = 2000
  | url = http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?BioId=40542
  | access-date = 2010-04-21}}
</ref>
The execution of [[Thomas Scott (Orangeman)|Thomas Scott]] during the 1870 [[Red River Rebellion]] was a major catalyst in the formation of the Canada First movement.<ref>{{cite book|author=Dimitry Anastakis|title=Death in the Peaceable Kingdom: Canadian History since 1867 through Murder, Execution, Assassination, and Suicide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YpsjCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA27|year=2015|publisher=U of Toronto Press|page=27|isbn=9781442606364}}</ref> Caught in the middle of the rebellion, Schultz and Mair narrowly escaped execution themselves. Upon their return to Ontario the two men were featured prominently in a massive Toronto protest organized by the Canada Firsters. Tapping into Orange Protestant outrage over the killing of Scott the movement's leaders stressed the theme of national betrayal at the hands of the Red River rebels and Louis Riel.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hougham|first=G.M.|title=Canada First: A Minor Party in Microcosm|journal=The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science|date=May 1953|volume=19|issue=2|page=175|doi=10.2307/138387|jstor=138387}}</ref>

On the occasion of an 1874 by-election in the Federal district of [[West Toronto]], the Canada First movement became an official political party known as the Canadian National Association. Although the party failed to nominate a candidate, they released a party-platform that called for the "British Connection, Consolidation of the Empire and in the meantime a voice in treaties affecting Canada."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hougham|first=G.M.|title=Canada First|page=177}}</ref> Wanting a greater voice and autonomy for Canada in conducting its own foreign policy the movement heralded the [[Imperial Federation]] movement.

Although the party counted among its early supporters former Ontario Premier and prominent Liberal [[Edward Blake]], Blake's decision to accept a position in [[Alexander Mackenzie (politician)|Alexander Mackenzie]]'s government in 1875 led to the party's quick collapse.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Vigod|first=B.L.|title=Canada First|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/canada-first|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316065413/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/canada-first|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 16, 2012|encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=29 September 2013}}</ref> By 1876 their weekly newspaper organ ''The Nation'', edited by [[Charles Lindsey (editor)|Charles Lindsey]], had closed.<ref>{{cite book
|last         = Taylor
|first        = M. Brook
|title        = Dictionary of Canadian Biography
|editor-last  = Cook
|editor-first = Ramsay
|editor-link   = George Ramsay Cook
|chapter-url          = http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/cote_jean_baptiste_13E.html
|year         = 1994
|publisher    = Springer Science & Business Media
|isbn         = 978-0-8020-3998-9
|chapter      = Lindsey, Charles
}}</ref>

In 2025, both [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Justin Trudeau]] and [[Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)|Opposition Leader]] [[Pierre Poilievre]] used the phrase to describe their policies of retaliatory tariffs against [[President of the United States|President]] [[Donald Trump]]'s [[Second Trump Tariffs|2025 tariffs]] and comments of Canada being the "[[51st state]]".<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-01-16 |title= Trudeau singles out Alberta premier for not putting 'Canada first' in break with other provinces |url= https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/justin-trudeau-danielle-smith-tariffs |website= National Post |quote= Speaking to reporters in Windsor, Ont. on Thursday, Trudeau says he doesn’t “blame” Smith for speaking up for her province’s oil patch, but said every other premier, many of whom disagree with him regularly, “chose to put Canada first.” }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2025-01-16 |title=Danielle Smith not putting ‘Canada first’ by refusing to sign Trump tariff plan, Trudeau says  |url=https://calgary.citynews.ca/2025/01/16/alberta-danielle-smith-trudeau-tariffs-canada-first/ |website= City News }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2025-02-01 |title=  Canada to slap 25 per cent tariff on $155B of U.S. goods after Trump initiates trade war |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/canada-to-slap-25-per-cent-tariff-on-155b-of-us-goods-after-trump-initiates-trade-war/ |website= CTV News |quote= Reacting to Trump’s trade action, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said “we must put Canada first.” Poilievre said his party condemns Trump’s “massive, unjust and unjustified tariffs on Canada’s already weak economy.” Reviving his call for the federal Liberals to recall Parliament, Poilievre pointed to his six-pronged plan to address the tariffs, including retaliating with dollar-for-dollar tariffs,}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Canadian Party]]
* [[America First (policy)]]
* [[America First Committee]]
* [[America First Party (1943)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Farrell, D. R. "The Canada First movement and Canadian political thought." ''Journal of Canadian Studies''  (1969) 4#4 pp: 16+
* Gagan, David P. "The relevance of 'Canada First,'" ''Journal of Canadian Studies'' (1970) 5#4 pp: 36-44 [https://www.proquest.com/docview/1300021018 online]
* Hougham, G. M. "Canada First: A Minor Party in Microcosm." ''Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science/Revue canadienne de economiques et science politique'' 19#2 (1953): 174-184.

[[Category:People of the Red River Rebellion]]
[[Category:Political movements in Canada]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Toronto]]
[[Category:Political history of Canada]]
[[Category:Nationalist parties in Canada]]