Norman Brudy

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Norman Brudy (born 1919 died 2000) was a former salesman, government lobbyist and a Canadian Communist politician and election candidate. He served as a former leader of the Communist Party (Alberta).

[edit] Political career

Brudy ran as a Labour-Progressive candidate in the 1953 Canadian federal election. He was badly defeated finishing last out of five candidates in the Regina City electoral district to incumbent Cooperative Commonwealth Federation Member of Parliament Alfred Claude Ellis.[1]

In 1968 Brudy had a falling out with the Communist Party and was squeezed out of the executive committee after criticizing the party policies and the Soviet Union.[2] That same year Brudy helped found the Federation of Metro Toronto Tenants' Association with other members of the Communist Party's Toronto chapter.[3]

Brudy moved to Toronto, Ontario and began lobbying the provincial government for rent control laws, which were enacted in 1975.[4] He ran federal office again as a candidate for the Communist Party of Canada in the Don Valley electoral district for the 1974 Canadian federal election. He was defeated finishing second last out of six candidates loosing to incumbent Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament James McPhail Gillies.[5]

Brudy would run for the federal communists again ten years later in 1984 Canadian federal election. He finished sixth place out of seven candidates in the electoral district of Scarborough East loosing to Progressive Conservative candidate Bob Hicks.[6]

After the federal election, Brudy moved to Alberta and became leader of the Communist Party (Alberta).[7] He would lead the party into the 1986 Alberta general election fielding six candidates and winning 199 votes amounting to 0.03% of the popular vote. He served as leader of the party but did not contest an election himself. The second election he was leader for was the 1989 Alberta general election. He lead the party into that one fielding just two candidates and winning 85 votes. He retired as leader in 1992 and the party leadership transferred to Naomi Rankin.[8]

[edit] Late life

Brudy died in 2000.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Regina City election results 1953. Parliament of Canada. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
  2. ^ John Boyd. A Noble Cause Betrayed ... but Hope Lives On. Socialist History Project. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
  3. ^ Federation of Metro Toronto Tenants' Associations History. Qaz (September 7, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
  4. ^ a b Newsbriefs. Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (March 2000). Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
  5. ^ Don Valley election results 1974. Parliament of Canada. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
  6. ^ Scarborough East election results 1984. Parliament of Canada. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
  7. ^ "The Twelfth Annual Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta", Elections Alberta, 1990. 
  8. ^ "The Fifteenth Annual Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta", Elections Alberta, 1993. 
Party political offices
Preceded by
?		 Leader of the Communist Party (Alberta)
1986?–1992		 Succeeded by
Naomi Rankin