Communist Party candidates, 1977 Ontario provincial election

The Communist Party of Canada - Ontario fielded a number of candidates in the 1977 Ontario provincial election, none of whom were elected. Information about these candidates may be found on this page.

=Val Bjarnason (Oakwood)=

Bjarnason was a soldier during World War II, commanding a Canadian tank regiment through dangerous conditions in Europe. He subsequently became a prominent figure in the Canadian labour movement, serving as provincial organizer for the United Textile Workers in Ontario in the late 1940s. A "Toronto Star" report from 1947 indicates that he was involved with the social-democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation during this period. ["Drew's police act vicious; Need bill of rights - C.C.F.", "Toronto Star", 14 April 1947, p. 2; James R. Hunt, "Star Reporter Hunt Tells Own Story of Arrest by Provincials", "Toronto Star", 18 February 1949, p. 3.] He was blacklisted from the 1950 convention of the American Federation of Labour Trades and Labour Congress of Canada on suspicion of being a communist. [Mark Harrison, "Seven from Toronto believed Communists by convention", "Toronto Star", 11 September 1950, p. 23.]

Bjarnason was national coordinator for the United Electrical Workers during the 1960s and 1970s. ["123 candidates seeking Metro's 29 seats", "Toronto Star", 12 September 1975, A8.] He became secretary-treasurer of the union in the 1970s, and served in the position until his retirement in 1984. He received media attention in 1979 for challenging Canadian General Electric Co. Ltd. over that company's attempt to gain access to the Social Insurance Numbers of employees. [Wilfred List, "Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau has ruled out Government intervention", "Globe and Mail", 17 February 1979, P5; Lorne Slotnick, "Canadian UAW splits from U.S. parent union", "Globe and Mail", 11 December 1984, P1.] He was also involved with international issues, and called for union boycotts of Chilean goods during Augusto Pinochet's rule. [Deborah Caruso, "Stop trading with Chile, Mrs. Allende tells Canada", "Globe and Mail", 21 January 1980, P5.]

Bjarnason moved to Kitchener following his retirement, and was an active member of the group Veterans Against Nuclear Arms. He criticized the Gulf War in 1990. [John Roe, "K-W vets remember and worry", "Kitchener-Waterloo Record", 12 November 1990, B1.] In 1996, he took part in a protest against the policies of the Mike Harris government as a member of the Ontario Provincial Federation of Union Retirees. [Chris Aagaard, "Mass protest : Action Day draws thousands", "Kitchener-Waterloo Record", 20 April 1996, A1. See also Val Bjarnason, "Harris takes away what a generation fought for", "Kitchener-Waterloo Record", 28 February 1998, A12.]

He campaigned for the Communist Party of Canada - Ontario on two occasions.

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