Walter D. Young


Walter D. Young was a Canadian political scientist who has written several books that are considered the definitive resources for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the New Democratic Party. His experiences as a democratic socialist in Canada led to his involvement in the founding of the NDP, provincial politics in British Columbia, and a variety of educational initiatives at The University of British Columbia and The University of Victoria.

Personal Life

Walter D. Young was born in 1933 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to William and Isabel Eunice Young with two older siblings: Sheila and Irvine. At a young age, he moved to Victoria, British Columbia. Young predeceased his wife Beryl and his three children: Jeremy, Margot and Brian. Margot Young is currently a law professor at University of British Columbia's Peter A. Allard School of Law.

Academic Career

Education

Walter Young received an Honours BA in History and English from University of British Columbia in 1955, at which point he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. As a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, he completed a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and an MA in 1957. Young completed a Ph.D from The University of Toronto in 1965 by publishing a thesis titled The National CCF: Political Party and Political Movement.

Early Career

In 1957, Young returned to Canada to accept a one-year teaching position at Royal Roads Military College in Victoria. After that year, Young took a teaching position at The United College. The day after arriving in Winnipeg for the new position, newspapers broke the story about the firing of Harry S. Crowe. Along with many other staff members, Young resigned in protest of the schools decision to fire Crowe based on his criticism of the university's president. He posthumously received the Milner Memorial Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers in response to his resignation. In search of a new position, Young took a one year research post at the University of Manitoba before completing his Ph.D.

University of British Columbia

In 1962, Young was appointed to the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and served as the head of that department from 1969 to 1973. While at UBC, Young founded BC Studies to promote study of politics in British Columbia
While at UBC, Young founded and served as director of The BC Legislative Internship Programme and initiator of an experimental liberal arts program for first-year university students called "Arts I". Young served on the Board of Directors for UBC Press, sat on the committee for long-rage prospects for UBC, and was elected to the Senate by the Joint Faculties.

University of Victoria

Young resigned from The University of British Columbia in 1973 to accept a position at The University of Victoria as the Chairman of the Department of Political Science; a position he held until 1978. In 1978, Young was elected to be the president of the Canadian Political Science Association, a post he served from 1980 to 1981.

Political Involvement

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and New Democratic Party

Young was an active member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and was a founding member of the New Democratic Party during its creation. As a good friend and advisor of Tom Berger, he worked closely with him during the 1968 NDP Provincial Leadership campaign and served as an education advisor from 1973-1975 to the Provincial NDP government.
While doing his Ph.D. in Toronto, Young was an active member of the Ontario NDP. On his return to British Columbia, Young served as the Vice-President of the British Columbia NDP.

Legislation

Young worked to help enact several significant pieces of legislation. In 1974, Young chaired the University Government Committee which put a report forward to the Provincial government that led to the creation of The Universities Council which, along with The Universities Act, oversees the three public universities in British Columbia.
In 1974, Young was appointed commissioner of the newly created Legal Services Commission. The Legal Services Commission Act of 1975 established as a Crown Corporation with the goal of providing legal services to individuals in British Columbia who could not otherwise access those services. Young acted as Commissioner for two years. Once the NDP government lost power, Young and other faculty from University of Victoria were a driving force to enact the changes outlined by the Legal Services Commission Act.

Publications

Books
Canadian Encyclopedia Entries