Ken Sweigard

Ken Sweigard (1919 - July 11, 2005) was a Pentecostal evangelist from Grande Prairie, Alberta, and politician who led the Social Credit Party of Canada from 1983 to 1986.

In the 1980 election, Social Credit's five remaining Members of Parliament (all from Quebec) were defeated. The party had not had any MPs from its old base of Alberta and British Columbia since 1968.

Sweigard first ran as a Social Credit candidate in the 1980 federal election. Standing in Peace Reiver, Alberta, he came in fifth place with 462 votes. He placed behind the three major parties and the candidate for the Rhinoceros Party of Canada. [ [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/hfer/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=2375 History of Federal Ridings since 1867 ] ]

Sweigard first sought the party’s leadership in 1982, when he lost to Martin Hattersley. Sweigard attended the leadership convention dressed as U.S. president Abraham Lincoln, wearing a top hat and carrying a walking stick. His entourage, dressed in 1860s style, held placards reading "Free the Slaves" and chanted "Free the economic slaves", a reference to the social credit theory of monetary reform and opposition to the charging of interest on borrowed money. [cite news
last =
first =
coauthors = Canadian Press
title =Monetary system not part of jet age, Socred leader says
work =Globe and Mail
pages =
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date =July 5, 1982
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Hattersley resigned as leader in June 1983 when the party would not expel three outspoken party members from Alberta, including Jim Keegstra who had been accused of anti-Semitism.

Sweigard, who described Keegstra as a "fine Christian gentleman", [cite news
last =
first =
coauthors = Canadian Press
title =Socred defends Keegstra
work =Globe and Mail
pages =
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date =July 19, 1983
url =
accessdate = ] was elected leader by means of a telephone conference call of 17 party members, with 9 votes to 5 votes for party vice-president Richard Lawrence and three for Adrien Lambert. [cite news
last =
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coauthors = Canadian Press
title =Scoreds pick new leader the easy way 16 use 1 1/2-hour conference call to anoint Alberta evangelist
work =Globe and Mail
pages =
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date =July 16, 1983
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As leader, he ran in the 1984 election in Timiskaming, placing last with 151 votes. After stepping down as leader, he ran again in the 1988 election in Peace River, where he came in last in a field of six candidates with 354 votes. [ [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/hfer/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=9487 History of Federal Ridings since 1867 ] ]

Social Credit fared no better elsewhere: none of its members won election under Sweigard's leadership. The party won only 16,659 votes nationwide in 1984, and 3,407 in 1988. The 1988 election was the last in which Social Credit stood as an official party.

Sweigard attempted to win the leadership on a permanent basis at the party's national convention in 1986 but fared poorly, despite telling delegates that he had been visited by an angel who had endorsed his candidacy.cite news
last = Bilodeau
first =Paul
coauthors =
title =Minister to lead Socreds as Keegstra loses in vote
work =Toronto Star
pages =
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date =June 22, 1986
url =
accessdate = ] Sweigard received only 9 of 114 votes, finishing well behind winning candidate Harvey Lainson and runner-up Jim Keegstra. [cite news
last = Oziewicz
first =Stanley
coauthors =
title =Bloody but unbowed Socreds gather as Keegstra seeks helm
work =Globe and Mail
pages =
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date =June 20, 1986
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accessdate = ]

References