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Sam Walsh (politician)

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Sam Walsh
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Quebec
In office
1965–1989
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byMarianne Roy
Personal details
Born
Saul Jerome Wolofsky

(1916-08-31)August 31, 1916
Montreal, Quebec
DiedMarch 18, 2008(2008-03-18) (aged 91)
NationalityCanadian
Political partyCommunist Party of Quebec
Other political
affiliations
Communist Party of Canada
Labor-Progressive Party
Communist Party of Ontario
Parent
Alma materMcGill University
OccupationPolitician
Military service
AllegianceCanada
Branch/serviceCanadian Army
RankSecond Lieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War 2

Samuel Walsh (August 31, 1916 – March 18, 2008), was leader of the Communist Party of Quebec for 28 years, from 1962 to 1990, and was a leader in the Communist Party of Canada and Labor-Progressive Party since the 1940s.

Early life and education

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Walsh was born in Montreal as Saul Jerome Wolofsky. His father was Hirsch Wolofsky, publisher of the Keneder Adler (Canadian Eagle), Canada's first Yiddish newspaper.[1]

At the age of 17, Wolofsky took part in a student strike against an increase in high school tuition fees. He became a Communist with the encouragement of his older brother, Moishe, a union organizer. His father asked them to change their names to avoid embarrassing the family and so Moishe became Bill Walsh and Saul became Sam Walsh.[1][2]

Walsh enrolled in biology at McGill University and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1938. He moved to Toronto.[1]

Career

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Walsh ran for public office at least 30 times in his career, and was elected twice as a school trustee in Toronto in the late 1940s.[3][1]

When the Communist Party was banned in 1940, Walsh went underground and evaded arrest under the wartime Defence of Canada Regulations.[2] Once the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, the USSR became Canada's ally and Communists were able to organize the new Labor-Progressive Party as a legal front.

Walsh enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II, becoming a second lieutenant instructing soldiers how to operate military vehicles.[2] He was denied further promotion because of his political affiliations. According to his niece, "His commanding officer told him, 'Sam, I'd like to promote you, but I understand you're pink.'"[1] Walsh replied “I'm not pink, I'm flaming red.”[2]

Walsh became a permanent party organizer for the Labor-Progressive Party following Fred Rose's election victory in 1943.[1]

In 1948, Walsh was elected to the Toronto Board of Education by acclamation and was re-elected in 1949 before being defeated in 1950.[1]

Walsh ran in the 1958 federal election in Spadina and then in a by-election in Trinity, both Toronto ridings, but was unsuccessful.

He returned to Montreal in the 1960s becoming leader of the Communist Party of Quebec in 1962. In 1972, he denounced Trotskyist support for Quebec independence resulting in a number of defections from the party.[1]

Electoral record

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1988 Canadian federal election: Saint-Denis
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal Marcel Prud'homme 19,928
Progressive Conservative Madeleine Provost 12,843
New Democratic Jaime Llambias-Wolff 6,151
Rhinoceros Chérubin Guy Roy 1,166
Green René E. Pratte 1,107
Independent Panagiotis Macrisopoulos 341
Social Credit Doris Lacroix 269
Communist Sam Walsh 204
Commonwealth of Canada Nancy Duchaine 191
1985 Quebec general election: Laurier
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Christos Sirros 16,004 65.80
Parti Québécois Ivano Vellano 5,966 24.47
New Democratic Ioannis Kourtesis 830 3.41
Parti indépendantiste Christian Biron 425 1.74
Progressive Conservative Irene Makris 393 1.61
Humanist Gustavo Jara 232 0.95
Independent Christopher Mcall 174 0.71
Communist Sam Walsh 172 0.71
Commonwealth of Canada Benoit Chalifoux 146 0.60
Total valid votes 24,382 97.86
Rejected and declined votes 533 2.14
Turnout 24,915 68.86
Electors on the lists 36,128
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.
1984 Canadian federal election: Saint Denis
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal Marcel Prud'homme 18,750
Progressive Conservative Peter Georgakakos 12,122
New Democratic Scott McKay 4,581
Rhinoceros Ben Rhino 97 Michel Benoit 1,588
Parti nationaliste Clovis Gaudet 981
Independent Claude Lamoureux 297
Communist Sam Walsh 266
Commonwealth of Canada Serge Buchet 125
1980 Canadian federal election: Saint-Denis
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal Marcel Prud'homme 28,383
New Democratic Raymond Beaudoin 3,485
Progressive Conservative David M. Bernstein 2,312
Rhinoceros Serge Rose 1,232
Social Credit Richer Francœur 743
Marxist–Leninist Panagiotis Macrysopoulos 182
Communist Sam Walsh 165
Union populaire Gilles Maillé 161
1979 Canadian federal election: Saint-Denis
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal Marcel Prud'homme 30,552
Progressive Conservative David Bernstein 3,380
Social Credit Richer M. Francœur 3,177
New Democratic Richard Marcille 2,412
Rhinoceros Rodrigue Chocolat Tremblay 1,056
Marxist–Leninist Panagiotis Macrisopoulos 238
Union populaire Diane Martin Lelièvre 226
Communist Sam Walsh 187
1976 Quebec general election: Maisonneuve
Party Candidate Votes
Parti Québécois Robert Burns 15,390
Liberal Gilles Houle 6,316
Union Nationale Arthur Goyette 2,040
Ralliement créditiste Michel Parret 652
Parti national populaire Jean-Guy Forget 220
Socialist Democracy Louis Cauchy 58
Communist Sam Walsh 33
Parti des travailleurs du Québec Jeannine Warren 32
Independent André Frappier 22
Total valid votes 15,330
1974 Canadian federal election: Saint-Denis
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal Marcel Prud'homme 15,310
Progressive Conservative David M. Bernstein 4,897
New Democratic Jean-Guy Albert 1,963
Social Credit Tony Chatoyan 1,630
Marxist–Leninist Polyvios Tsakanikas 208
Communist Samuel J. Walsh 162
1966 Quebec general election: Saint-Louis
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Harry Blank 8,960 58.45
Union Nationale Nathan Shore 4,044 26.38
RIN Guy Viel 1,646 10.74
Ralliement national Lucien Plante 453 2.95
Communist Sam Walsh 227 1.48
Total valid votes 15,330
1962 Canadian federal election: Hochelaga
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Raymond Eudes 13,220 50.45 -2.21
Progressive Conservative Yvon Groulx 7,784 29.70 -10.78
New Democratic Noël Langlois 2,475 9.44 +5.37
Social Credit Robert Leblanc 2,379 9.08
Communist Sam Walsh 347 1.32 -1.46
Total valid votes 26,205
1959 Ontario general election: York South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Co-operative Commonwealth Donald C. MacDonald 14,446 46.95 +2.52
Progressive Conservative Alice Bickerton 9,133 29.68 -9.57
Liberal Fred McDermott 5,508 17.90 +4.81
Independent Conservative C.J. Garfunkel 1,228 3.99
Labor–Progressive Sam Walsh 454 1.48 -1.75
Total valid votes 30,769
Canadian federal by-election, December 15, 1958: Trinity
Death of Edward R. Lockyer
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Paul Hellyer 5,175 43.89 +7.39
Progressive Conservative Joe Lesniak 4,404 37.35 -8.20
Co-operative Commonwealth John Elchuk 1,724 14.62 +0.47
Labor–Progressive Sam Walsh 488 4.14 +0.34
Total valid votes 11,791
1958 Canadian federal election: Spadina
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Charles E. Rea 14,616 50.16 +7.06
Liberal Philip Givens 10,596 36.37 -3.19
Co-operative Commonwealth Jack Kedzierzykowski 3,040 10.43 -2.20
Labor–Progressive Sam Walsh 652 2.24 -0.54
Social Credit Dorothy Cureatz 233 0.80 -1.13
Total valid votes 29,137
1945 Ontario general election: St. Patrick
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Kelso Roberts 7,243 50.49 +5.99
Co-operative Commonwealth John Osler 2,854 19.90 -7.69
Liberal J.M. Gould 2,846 19.90 -8.01
Labor–Progressive Sam Walsh 1,401 9.77
Total valid votes 14,344

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "He never gave up: A communist for life despite reverses; 'You never know when political circumstances will be ripe for change,' he argued" by Alan Hustak, The (Montreal) Gazette, April 20, 2008
  2. ^ a b c d "SAM WALSH, 91: POLITICIAN; For 28 years, he valiantly ran for the Communists" by M.J. Stone, Globe and Mail, May 23, 2008
  3. ^ Bauch, Hubert (March 28, 1991). "Chasing votes on the political fringe". The Montreal Gazette. p. 25. Retrieved September 17, 2016.