Dossier f66 - Wright/Downtown Report (1 of 2)

The Canadian Club was initiated by a resolution passed at a public meeting in Hamilton, Ontario, for the "organization of a society to be known as The Canadian Club, having for its objects the encouragement of the study of the history, literature, and resources of Canada, the recognition of native worth and talent, and the fostering of a patriotic Canadian sentiment." The Canadian Club of Hamilton was followed by the organization of Canadian Clubs in Toronto (1897), Ottawa (1903), and almost thirty clubs across Canada by 1907, including two Women's Canadian Clubs in Montreal and Winnipeg.
In 1909, members of the disparate clubs gathered in Montreal to organize the Association of Canadian Clubs, which was formally incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1939 with the express purpose "to foster throughout Canada an interest in public affairs and to cultivate therein an attachement to Canadian institutions."
The Association of Canadian Clubs ceased operations in 2007, although individual clubs still continue to operate independently across the country.