Richard Splane

History Of The Vancouver Branch, 1993-1998
A Personal Perspective by Richard Splane

My membership in the World Federalists of Canada dates from the 1950s…. In Ottawa I served in the Dept. of National Health and Welfare from the early 1950's to the early 1970s; first in research and then in the development and administration of federal-provincial shared cost programs - becoming known as the chief architect of the Canada Assistance Plan. While in the Department I developed a strong interest in international social welfare, playing a part in a number of nongovernmental agencies. I also had some part in the role Canada was playing in various United Nations Organizations…On two memorable occasions I substituted as head of the Canadian delegation on the Board of UNICEF..once, in 1958 at the UN headquarters in New York and again, in 1960 at UNICEF's first meeting abroad - in Bangkok, with side trips to the cities of central India.

International involvements continued when I left the public service and became a professor specializing in public policy and participating in various endeavours that I viewed as supportive of the work of the United Nations and the ideal of eventual world governance. In introducing myself to my classes at the University of British Columbia I would refer to my support of the world federalist ideal even as I emphasized the important role national governments must play in the welfare of their people.

In 1992, I was one of the WFC members in Vancouver who received telephone calls from Mary June Pettyfer who had come from Victoria to rouse the Vancouver members to organized action. Her endeavours were strongly followed up by Duncan Graham whose arrival in Vancouver, first on a temporary basis and then permanently, marked a turning point in the fortunes of WFC in this city .…

A meeting in Vancouver convened by Duncan Graham in 1993, while he was still based in Quebec, had as its central purpose finding someone to assume leadership in the movement in Vancouver. This was in recognition that Dr. David Dyment, who had carried that role for some time, was unable to continue because of the demands of his medical practice. The meeting included Professor Ted McWhinney, M.P. for Vancouver Quadra, and several members who had worked for the world federalist cause…. On the urging of Duncan Graham, I agreed to assume an undefined charmanship role.

I made contact with a number of those who had served in the movement locally including Herbert Gilbert, Joyce Brown, Isobel Nairn, Charlotte Fee, Wayne Nelles, Leonard Angel, Marta Friesen, and E.Margaret Fulton… Some individuals had come together in groups in response to the Issues Action Program of the WFC headquarters. They undertook to study, comment and act on a series of Briefing Papers developed by Fergus Watt, the Executive Director of WFC. Each paper succinctly outlined an issue on which action was needed and recommended steps that individuals or groups could take. For example, Briefing Paper No 10 called 'Canadian ratification of the Law of the Sea Convention: No more excuses' discussed the case for responsible policies and proposed actions open to members to influence public policy.

I agreed that a first priority should be to bring to Vancouver for discussions and a public meeting, the Canadian President, Professor Alan Blakeney. In addition to his position in the law faculty of the University of Saskatchewan, Allan Blakeney carried many other national and international roles and had served for eleven years as Premier of Saskatchewan. The public meeting which was the centrepiece of Allan Blakeney's visit on March 13, 1994 was to be the first of twelve such meetings during the period - meetings that constituted the major focus of the activities of the Vancouver Branch for the next four years.