Canada First movement, party that appeared in Canada soon after confederation (1867). Its purpose was to encourage the growth of nonpartisan loyalty to the new dominion of Canada. In Toronto, in 1874, it founded the Nation and the National Club and entered the political field as the Canadian National Association, which encouraged immigration and native industry, and a more independent stance for Canada. Although its official career was short-lived, the party's ideals were expressed by Canadian writers and were absorbed by the older political parties. In this way the movement had an effect on the development of Canadian nationalism.
See W. S. Wallace, The Growth of Canadian National Feeling (1927).
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