Social Credit is an economic philosophy proposed by an Englishman, Major C.H. Douglas. Douglas believed that economic problems resulted from the economy not providing people with enough money to purchase goods His solution was to distribute more money, or "social credit." William Aberhart, a radio evangelist, began espousing Douglas' ideas in 1932 during his radio broadcasts, and in 1935, he was elected premier of Alberta.
After Aberhart's death in 1943, Ernest Manning assumed leadership of the Alberta Social Credit party and remained premier until 1968. Under Manning, Social Credit substituted more conservative fiscal and social conservative policies for the original ideas of social credit. In British Columbia, Social Credit governments held power between 1952 and 1991, led first by W.A.C. Bennett, then by his son, William Bennett (elected in 1975), and William Vander Zalm (premier between 1986 and 1991). In BC, Social Credit also assumed conservative financial policies, matching them with major development schemes. Social Credit also had a federal presence in the 1962 federal election when, under Réal Caouette, they won 26 seats in Québec.
