The old-age pension and unemployment insurance are two cornerstones of Canadian society that many have taken for granted. But on this 50th anniversary of the New Democratic Party, local riding members will recognize that these now essential programs were to a large extent hatched by J. S. Woodsworth in the home of Frederick "Doc" Inglis in Gibsons Landing.
On Saturday, Aug. 27, the Sunshine Coast NDP is hosting a J. S. Woodsworth celebration party from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Gibsons United Church. Members of the public of all political persuasions are invited to drop by and meet members of the Woodsworth and Inglis families and enjoy historical readings from Woodsworth and Inglis family correspondence.
This event will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NDP. The federal NDP will be represented by Jinny Sims, member of Parliament for Newton-North Delta, and the provincial NDP by Powell River - Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons.
James Shaver Woodsworth is best known as one of the founders and first leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (1932), later to become the NDP.
In 1917, Woodsworth was appointed Methodist Church minister in Gibsons Landing. There his vision of a Canadian social democracy was much influenced by the co-operative philosophy of the early Finnish settlers and was refined in discussions in the parlour of the Inglis family. The Doc Inglis house remains as the landmark Stonehurst house above Pioneer Park in Gibsons. Woodsworth's wife and six children were taken in by Inglis and his family and lived in Stonehurst during the trying years between Woodsworth's resignation from the Methodist Church and his first election as an MP in 1921.
Before founding the CCF, Woodsworth had already successfully pressured the government of Canada to introduce unemployment insurance and an old-age pension as a member of the Independent Labour Party. His conscientious and courageous activism has earned him great recognition with schools and colleges named for him. In the 2004 CBC contest for most famous Canadian, Woodsworth placed 100th with his protégé, Tommy Douglas as number one. The Town of Gibsons has recognized Woodsworth with the recently named Woodsworth Road in Gibsons new Parkland subdivision.
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