The Red Tide Stemmed

The 1945 Canadian Federal and 1945 Manitoba Provincial elections took place at an important time in world history: the end of the Second World War. A Gallup poll of 1943 showed the CCF (Socialists) as the most popular national party, and they were poised to win the election, but the Mackenzie King Liberals intervened with ruthless and dishonest scare-propaganda which included a warning that a CCF government would destroy our democratic way of life and institute a foreign-born system which would place CCF politicians "in complete control of everybody's lives."

Arthur Yates, of Canadian nationality, was born in Manchester, England, the fifth of seven children.

In his late teens Arthur addressed ever-larger crowds in market square settings. "A market square orator of no mean ability" as the Derby Telegraph later reported.

He fought World War Two from the beginning, as a front-line soldier most of the time. The Trooper tells of his adventures in and aroun this last major war. At the end of World War Two Yates managed to get the army and the world to take him seriously as an opponent to Winston Churchill, the great British leader.

In Canada, he fought four elections as a Liberal, but in Alberta (where Liberals are rarely elected), so he never had a chance to become an M.P. He did, however, become a close friend of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, with whom he bonded at the time of their first meeting. Arthur could have perhaps become a senator or anything else, had he followed the frequent advice he received from Trudeau. Trudeau told him over and over again to see Senator Hastings, who would channel him into important position. Arthur Yates never did go to see Senator Hastings about this. He was perhaps too independent.