Ed Broadbent (March 21, 1936 – January 11, 2024) stands as one of a handful of Canadians in modern history whose contributions to the life of the country are matched by his significant contributions to ideas and political thought.
Ed was a scholar, an MP and party leader, Vice-President of the Socialist International, founding President of Rights and Democracy, and an engaged citizen. Throughout his seven decades in public life he was also one of Canada’s most significant public intellectuals — he spoke and wrote continuously about the big issues and challenges of our times.
In January 2024, ordinary Canadians across the country came together to pay tribute to Ed’s intellectual and political service in a state funeral. His integrity and decency, his deep commitment to human rights and the pursuit of equality, cut through the polarized political moment and brought together people from Canada and around the world to celebrate his life.
To mark the first anniversary since his passing, the Broadbent Institute is helping to develop a new digitization effort of Ed’s intellectual and political work from various archives and libraries across the country, to secure his legacy and ensure broad public access to his remarkable thinking and work for generations to come.
Vision
From the 1960s until his death, Ed wrote and spoke extensively about a wide array of subjects, intervening in important national and international debates from a social democratic perspective and leaving behind a substantial intellectual legacy that will be of interest to students, activists, trade unionists, scholars, policymakers, and members of the public alike.
Over the past year, the co-authors of Ed’s recent book, Seeking Social Democracy, have been gathering and cataloguing thousands of Ed’s records, articles, correspondence and more. Drawing on Library and Archives Canada, news and media archives, and Ed’s own personal records, they have brought together and thematized his entire corpus of written work, including rare and never before released material, excavating long forgotten works, and bringing forward notable speeches and articles anew.
Our vision is to engage with world-leading experts in digital archive design and user experience to create a compelling hub that will be accessible and usable to everyone, from members of the general public to researchers.
A Vital Resource to Continue Ed’s Legacy
Social and economic rights, industrial policy, decommodification, internationalism: Ed’s social democratic values and ideas are vital to the debates and dilemmas of today. With your support, we can create a lasting resource that preserves Ed’s contributions to social democracy and to Canada more broadly, while educating and inspiring generations new and old. Making Ed’s work accessible will foster greater public engagement with the ideas he championed, encouraging meaningful conversations about the role of government, community, and the individual in shaping our future.
The online archive will serve as a vital resource for researchers, educators, students, policymakers and anyone interested in the history of Canadian politics, economic and social policy, the labour movement and civil society, and in democratic leadership and practice.
It will do this in four key ways:
1. Educational Resource
This digital archive will be a vital resource for researchers, educators, trade unionists, and students, providing primary sources for curriculum development, policy development, research projects, and public discourse on important contemporary and historical issues/
2. Knowledge Mobilization and Narrative Change
Ed Broadbent’s ideas and intellectual contributions are a vital counter weight to the conventional Liberal and Conservative stories that dominate Canadian political and social history. By archiving Ed’s work in a way that makes it readily accessible, we can promote engagement with the social democratic tradition and perspective and ensure today’s debates benefit from thinking that has come before
3. Inspiring Future Leaders
Ed’s commitment to human rights, substantive equality, and pluralistic democracy continue to resonate today. Accessible records of his speeches and writings will inspire a new generation of activists and leaders, empowering them to advocate for a fairer society.
4. Public Record
The book and digital archive will put Ed’s thought and his contribution to imagining a better Canada on the public record. This will advance understanding about social democracy and provide an enduring counterweight to the heavy emphasis on liberal and conservative thought in university curricula, in the legacy media and in social media.