Clarence (Clarie) Gillis (October 3, 1895 – December 17, 1960) was a Canadian social democratic politician and trade unionist from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

[3] The period from 1920 and 1940 was the time that Gillis rose through the ranks of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) Local 26.

He represented the federal riding of Cape Breton South, which included the city of Sydney, the towns of Glace Bay, New Waterford, Dominion and surrounding areas from 1940 until his defeat in the 1957 election.

[5] As Gillis pointed out in the House of Commons, Cape Breton miners had amongst the highest enlistment rates in Canada, and their families were needy, not just for butter, but just about every kind of basic food-stuff.

In 1942, during the speech from the throne debate, H. A. Bruce, the Conservative Party member from Toronto's Parkdale electoral district, was a typical critic of the Canadian Congress of Labor (CCL).

[6] Parliamentarians started attacking the American Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), which the CCL was affiliated with, and claiming that its union members were hurting the war effort.

[8] After questioning from prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, Gillis pointed out that the CCF's official position is that all Canadians, especially those born in Canada, should have the full rights of that citizenship and have the franchise to vote.

[8] In the end, the Liberal government ignored the CCF's pleas and passed a law to restrict voting for Japanese Canadians.

One of his most notable achievements while in Parliament, was getting federal government funding to build the Canso Causeway to bridge mainland Nova Scotia to Cape Breton Island.