Prisoner of the times

Local author puts women on the historical map

Dorice Nielsen left an indelible mark on Canada’s political landscape as the first female communist elected to parliament in 1940.

She spent her entire life fighting for equality, women’s rights and economic freedom, even though it cost her her children, party and country.

But Nielsen has been merely a footnote in history books until Faith Johnston, an Osborne Village writer, painstakingly pieced together Nielsen’s personal and political life in a journey that took her across Canada and into China, and led to a battle with the RCMP to release secret files.

The resulting book, A Great Restlessness, the Life and Politics of Dorise Nielsen, was published earlier this year.

Like Nielsen, who lost an infant child which sparked her political fire, Johnston lost her husband and found the writing and research cathartic.

Johnston said the basis of her book was formed with four sets of letters from correspondence between Nielsen and her two daughters, and two of her friends.

Johnson said the letters were an insight into how Nielsen put politics ahead of everything else.

“In one letter she wrote, ‘don’t write unless it is political or urgent’,” said Johnston.

Johnston said it was an attitude that resonated throughout her life at the expense of her children, who felt neglected by her dedication to politics and didn’t reconcile with their mother until well into adulthood.

As a member of parliament, Nielsen fought tirelessly and helped to introduce equal pay for women, unemployment insurance, the first universal social welfare system, agricultural supports and establish collective bargaining rights for workers.

She sought re-election in 1945, but failed for two reasons according to Johnston.

The first was because she came out as a communist in 1943, having been elected on the more mainstream ticket of the United Front party, and communists were facing increased suspicion in the lead up to the Cold War and McCarthyism.

The other was when she took to the floor in 1940, Nielsen racked up another first when she entered the House of Commons as a single mother, having recently left her husband.

While the letters and a memoir written by Nielsen about her life prior to politics laid the base, Johnston sought to bring colour to her political life through the RCMP’s CSIS files.

When Johnston contacted the RCMP, they initially denied any existed on Nielsen.

Johnston appealed and eventually received 30 volumes and 4,000 pages on her.

The process took three years, but Johnston said the RCMP took copious notes of Nielsen’s meetings and the people who attended, right down to what she was wearing.

“The notes seemed to indicate (the RCMP) seemed more interested in stifling dissent than national security at the time,” said Johnston.

Following Nielsen’s electoral defeat, she spent time working for the Communist Party and the union movement before embarking on her next life-changing journey to China.

Nielsen was accepted to China in 1957 and worked as a teacher and foreign languages editor in Beijing.

She eventually became a Chinese citizen and lived there until she died in 1980, and she was buried in the heroes’ cemetery.

Johnston travelled to China in 2003 to unravel what her life was like there, particularly during the Cultural Revolution, which began in 1966.

“She didn’t speak Mandarin and became increasingly isolated, as most foreigners were,” said Johnston, recalling her own visit coincided with the SARS scare.

“In China she also increasingly closed herself off and became suspicious of people, except her children.”

When Johnston finished the book, it was the culmination of 10 years of work and the University of Manitoba Press decided to publish it.

David Carr, director of the U of M press, said Johnston’s book stood out for several reasons.

“Dorice Nielsen’s story is fascinating,” said Carr.

“Also, Faith’s writing is so vivid and engaging, and the scholarship is so substantial.”

A Great Restlessness: The Life and Politics of Dorice Nielsen is available at McNally Robinson, Chapters and online at Amazon.ca.