Canadian Forum

The Canadian Forum was a literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine (1920–2000).^[1]

The Canadian Forum, A Monthly Journal of Literature and Public Affairs, was founded on 14 May 1920^[2] at the University of Toronto as a forum for political and cultural ideas. Its first directors were G. E. Jackson, chairman, Barker Fairley, literary editor, C. B. Sissons,^[3] political editor, Peter Sandiford,^[4] business manager and Huntly Gordon, press editor.^[5] Throughout its publishing run it was Canadian nationalist and progressive in outlook.^[1]

Politically, it was a forum for thinkers such as Frank Underhill, F. R. Scott, Ramsay Cook, Mel Watkins, John Alan Lee, Eugene Forsey^[1] and Robert Fulford.^[6] Poetry and short stories by Irving Layton, Earle Birney, A. J. M. Smith, Helen Weinzweig, Margaret Atwood,^[1] Al Purdy and E. J. Pratt,^[7] appeared^[6] as well as editorials,^[8] reviews and articles discussing art and artists, sometimes written by the artists themselves, such as A. Y. Jackson,^[9] or Lawren Harris.^[10] J. E. H. MacDonald^[11] and Bertram Brooker^[12] even contributed their poetry. From 1928 on, critic Robert Ayre began to contribute reviews.^[13]

The Forum prided itself on reproducing a picture by a Canadian artist in each issue, "selected by competent critics",^[14] though leaning towards the progressive side in art, at least in the early years.^[15] Art editors included Pegi Nicol MacLeod.^[16] Among the artists who lent their work to the publication the most often used was Thoreau MacDonald but a pen sketch by Tom Thomson (now lost) also appeared.^[17] It published the art work of the Group of Seven and many other artists in black-and-white, one work per issue. The full range of the artists published in the Forum was discussed in the Fiftieth Anniversary issue in a lengthy article by the then art editor (1970-1975) Joan Murray.^[18]

In 1934, publisher Steven Cartwright purchased the periodical from J.M. Dent & Sons.^[19] After owning it for about a year, Cartwright unloaded the money-losing venture for one dollar to Graham Spry a member of the socially progressive think tank the League for Social Reconstruction (LSR).^[19] It was printed using Spy's printing press company, Stafford Printers, which also printed the Ontario CCF's newspaper The New Commonwealth.^[19] Spry purchased the press with financial help from both the LSR and English socialist Sir Stafford Cripps, hence the name Stafford Press.^[19] in 1936, the LSR bought the Forum for one-dollar from Spry, and assumed all its debts.^[20] University of Toronto Classics professor George Grube, a member of the LSR, became the editor in 1937.^[21] During his tenure, the periodical was the LSR's official organ.^[22] Grube stepped down as editor in 1941, about a year before the LSR officially disbanded.^[21] It has also been operated at times as a co-operative and was owned for a number of years by James Lorimer and Co.^[1]

Editors have included Mark Farrell,^[23] G. M. A. Grube,^[21] J. Francis White, Northrop Frye, Milton Wilson, Abraham Rotstein, Denis Smith and the final editor Duncan Cameron.^[1]

The magazine suspended publication following its summer 2000 issue.^[6] The Canadian Forum Archives (1953-1978) is at Trent University Library and Archives in Peterborough, Ontario.^[24]

• Horn, Michiel (1980). The League for Social Reconstruction: Intellectual origins of the democratic left in Canada, 1930–1942. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-5487-0.
• Podlecki, Anthony J. (1994). Ward W. Briggs Jr. (ed.). Biographical Dictionary of North American Classicists. Wesport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-24560-6.

• Archival papers of Gilbert Edward Jackson, Editor (1920–1925), are held at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services