# Al Overfield

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Al_Overfield
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Al_Overfield.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Overfield
> Source revision: 1355168219
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Alan Overfield Occupation Political activist Known for Founding member of the Edmund Burke Society Political party Social Credit Party of Canada Nationalist Party of Canada Reform Party of Canada Movement White supremacy

**Alan Overfield** was born a [First Nations](/source/First_Nations_in_Canada) person on [Manitoulin Island](/source/Manitoulin_Island) and is considered to have been a Canadian [white supremacist](/source/White_supremacist).

He was a founding member of the [Edmund Burke Society](/source/Edmund_Burke_Society_(Toronto)), established by [Paul Fromm](/source/Paul_Fromm_(politician)), [Don Andrews](/source/Don_Andrews), and Leigh Smith. He was also part of an attempted takeover by Fromm of the [Ontario](/source/Ontario) wing of the national [Social Credit Party of Canada](/source/Social_Credit_Party_of_Canada). Overfield appears to have run for office under the banner of the Social Credit Party in the riding of [Beaches-Woodbine](/source/Beaches-Woodbine). Though he was expelled from the national party, he remained a member of the [Ontario Social Credit Party](/source/Ontario_Social_Credit_Party), which had been taken over by the Edmund Burke Society in the early 1970s.[1]

In 1973, after the Edmund Burke Society became the [Western Guard Party](/source/Western_Guard_Party), Overfield claims to have founded the Canadian Liberty League as an alternative to the Western Guard. Overfield later became a member of Don Andrew's [Nationalist Party of Canada](/source/Nationalist_Party_of_Canada). It was through his involvement with Andrews that Overfield became acquainted with [Wolfgang Droege](/source/Wolfgang_Droege) whom Overfield employed as a part-time bailiff.[1]

## The Reform Party of Canada

Overfield claims to have been out of politics for 15 years when he decided to become active again. When he joined the [Reform Party of Canada](/source/Reform_Party_of_Canada), he claims to have "let the Reform Party executive know about his political past, and they had no problems with it."[1] Overfield stated that Reform Party member Harry Robertson admitted him to the Party and that future [Prime Minister of Canada](/source/Prime_Minister_of_Canada) [Stephen Harper](/source/Stephen_Harper) was well aware of Overfield's past involvement in far right groups. Harper denied such knowledge and stated that he had been "building issues into the Reform Party's platform to actively discourage extremists and 'nut cases'" at the time of Overfield's membership.[1]

One claim for Overfield's involvement in the Reform Party was an attempt to discredit the party for [Preston Manning](/source/Preston_Manning)'s involvement in placing the Ontario wing of the Social Credit Party under the personal trusteeship of the national leader to counter [Paul Fromm](/source/Paul_Fromm_(activist))'s activities. However, it is also on the record that Overfield's confided in Paul Fromm that his plan was "to unify all the right wing people into one cohesive organization. He was pushing to infiltrate ten or twelve Riding Associations in [Metro Toronto](/source/Metro_Toronto). Even if they did not win the riding associations in an election, they would at least have control. The attraction of Reform for Overfield and like-minded persons, he said was that it was strictly white bread, 100 percent white Canadians, really anti-immigration; there was really no difference between those people and them (Overfield's group)."[1]

While he was a member of the Reform Party, Overfield claimed to have signed up 22 members, including [Heritage Front](/source/Heritage_Front) members Peter Mitrevski, Nicola Polinuk, Droege, Zvominir Lelas and Tony Cinncinato.[1]

## Security for the Reform Party

In the early 1990s when the Reform Party was making inroads into Ontario, there were concerns about groups that would try to disrupt Reform meetings. Also, Reform Party leader Preston Manning did not have [Royal Canadian Mounted Police](/source/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police) security and was instead dependent upon local organizations. On May 27, 1991, Andrew Flint, then the Ontario Regional Coordinator for the Reform Party, was approached by Overfield who offered his bailiff as Reform Party security. Among those who worked as security for the Reform Party were Wolfgang Droege, James Dawson, Peter Mitrevski, other Heritage Front members,[2][3][4] and [Grant Bristow](/source/Grant_Bristow), who was later discovered to be a [Canadian Security Intelligence Service](/source/Canadian_Security_Intelligence_Service) mole.[5] Bristow became Manning's personal bodyguard while Overfield's men were providing security at Reform Party meetings and rallies.

## Expulsion from the Reform Party

On February 28, 1992, the *[Toronto Sun](/source/Toronto_Sun)* broke the story that the Heritage Front had infiltrated the Reform Party.[4] Droege claimed as many as 150 to 200 Heritage Front members were also members of the Reform Party, including some at the riding executive levels, but only a handful were discovered to be actual Heritage Front members.[4] When Reform Party executives became aware that Heritage Front members had joined the Reform Party, a special committee of the Executive Council began an investigation. The Special Committee revoked the membership in the Reform Party of Droege, Dawson, Polinuk, and Mitrevski. Overfield was expelled from the Reform Party, for showing "poor judgement in the hiring of known [neo-Nazis](/source/Neo-Nazis)."[4]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nizkor73_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nizkor73_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-nizkor73_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-nizkor73_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-nizkor73_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-nizkor73_1-5) Security Intelligence Review Committee (9 Dec 1994). ["The Heritage Front Affair Report to the Solicitor General of Canada"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110928050255/http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/73.html). *The Nizkor Project*. p. 7.3. Archived from [the original](http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/73.html) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-nizkor71_2-0)** Security Intelligence Review Committee (9 Dec 1994). ["The Heritage Front Affair Report to the Solicitor General of Canada"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110928050255/http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/71.html). *The Nizkor Project*. p. 7.1. Archived from [the original](http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/71.html) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-nizkor72_3-0)** Security Intelligence Review Committee (9 Dec 1994). ["The Heritage Front Affair Report to the Solicitor General of Canada"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110928050255/http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/72.html). *The Nizkor Project*. p. 7.2. Archived from [the original](http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/72.html) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nizkor75_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nizkor75_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-nizkor75_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-nizkor75_4-3) Security Intelligence Review Committee (9 Dec 1994). ["The Heritage Front Affair Report to the Solicitor General of Canada"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110928050255/http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/75.html). *The Nizkor Project*. p. 7.5. Archived from [the original](http://www1.ca.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/75.html) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CJN-dupe_5-0)** ["The story of the spy who duped white supremacists"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081007053450/http://www.cjc.ca/ptemplate.php?action=itn&Story=938). *Canadian Jewish News*. Archived from [the original](http://www.cjc.ca/ptemplate.php?action=itn&Story=938) on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2015.

## External links

- [Klan Chief Worked for Security Firm for Years](https://web.archive.org/web/20070311004421/http://www.blythe.org/nytransfer-subs/97cov/Canadian_Klan_member_in_private_security_firm_)

- [Silence of Spy Foils Hate Charges](https://web.archive.org/web/20060616123014/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/16/13/News/front.html)

- [The Heritage Front: Report to the Solicitor General of Canada (December 9, 1994)](https://web.archive.org/web/20070721145106/http://ftp.nizkor.org/hweb/orgs/canadian/sirc/heritage-front/)

- [Elisse Hategan’s testimony regarding the Bristow Affair](http://192.197.82.11/35/Archives/committees351/sena/evidence/19_95-06-13/sena19_blk101.html)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

- [SIRC Annual Report 94-95](https://web.archive.org/web/20060909083716/http://www.sirc-csars.gc.ca/pdfs/94-95_e.pdf) Pdf Document

v t e Social credit Movements Canada Abolitionist Party of Canada Alberta Social Credit Party British Columbia Social Credit Party Canada Party Christian Credit Party Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform Les Démocrates Manitoba Social Credit Party New Democracy Pauper Party of Ontario Parti crédit social uni Pilgrims of Saint Michael Ralliement créditiste Ralliement créditiste du Québec Social Credit Board Social Credit Party of Canada Social Credit Party of New Brunswick Social Credit Party of Ontario Social Credit Party of Saskatchewan Oceania Australian League of Rights Country Party (New Zealand) Democratic Labour Party (New Zealand) Douglas Credit Party Social Credit Party (New Zealand) Social Credit-NZ Solomon Islands Social Credit Party Europe British People's Party Irish Monetary Reform Association Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Social Credit Party of Ireland People William Aberhart Lavern Ahlstrom Bruce Beetham W. A. C. Bennett John Horne Blackmore Eric Butler Réal Caouette Vernon Cracknell C. H. Douglas Louis Even A. N. Field Ron Gostick John Hargrave Robert A. Heinlein Norman Jaques Solon Earl Low Hugh MacDiarmid Ernest Manning Roly Marks Neil Morrison Al Overfield Ezra Pound Manasseh Sogavare Ken Sweigard John Turmel History 1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt Prosperity certificate Social Credit Party of Canada split, 1963 Category

v t e Far-right politics in Canada General concepts Far-right politics Racism in Canada Racism in Quebec Organizations and movements Aryan Guard Atalante Canadian Association for Free Expression Canadian Heritage Alliance Canadian League of Rights Canadian Nationalist Party (1933) Canadian Nationalist Party (2017) Canadian Nazi Party Canadian Union of Fascists Dominion Society of Canada Heritage Front Generation Identity Canada / IDCanada Ku Klux Klan in Canada La Meute Nationalist-13 National Citizens Alliance National Unity Party of Canada Nationalist Party of Canada Northern Order Nouvelle Alliance Proud Boys Québec Identitaire Rebel News Second Sons Storm Alliance Tri-City Skins Western Guard Party Hate crimes École Polytechnique massacre Quebec City mosque shooting Laws combatting hateful rhetoric Hate crime laws in Canada Hate speech laws in Canada R v Keegstra R v Andrews Motion 103 Opposition Anti-Racist Action Battle at Old Market Square (1934) Canadian Anti-racism Education and Research Society Canadian Arab Federation Canadian Race Relations Foundation Christie Pits riot (1933) FAST – Fighting Antisemitism Together Nizkor Project NOWAR-PAIX Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre Provisional Anti-Fascist Committee (1938) RASH SHARP

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Al Overfield](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Overfield) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Overfield?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.