Even though Unions in Canada were legalized in 1872, he development of labor unions in Canada goes back a long way to the 1800’s. According to available evidence, the earliest record of the presence of labor unions can be traced back to a law passed in Nova in the 1880s that attempted to regulate the formation of labor associations. According to historians, there was an indication of labor movement activities in Halifax (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001).
Despite the resistance to the formation of labor movement, manual laborers formed associations in the early 1800s (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). Labor movement began through Crafts unionism. Crafts unions were formed to take care of the interests of craftsmen, mechanics, artisans and other skilled workers. The first notable unions included Printers, carpenters, tailors, bakers, blacksmiths shipwrights and seamen (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). These were formed in Montreal, Quebec, Hamilton, Halifax and Toronto (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). They started out as community based but later widened their outreach by joining other organizations. Industrialization largely became a center of focus for the crafts union in the 1920s. The crafts union formed alliances nationally and internationally (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001).
One of the notable influences in the Canadian labor movement was the knights of labor. It operated as secret organization, started in 1969 by garment laborers (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). The union expanded throughout the 1970s to include other workers. They spread throughout many cities in Canada and in the 1880s-90s, participated in labor movements and d political activities of the unions (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). Their focus was on education ad empowerment of workers with their outreach spreading all the way to the US (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). It grew into a big industrial union that was open for all.
The World War II also changed the face of the labor movement since the workers became more politically charged, following the many labor strikes that occurred during this period. In the early 1900s, Canadian labor unions attempted to join and form larger unions The Trade and Labor Congress of Canada were formed after the Canada labor union- 1873-77 (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). Later organizations united to form the Confederation Of Canadian Unions In 1975 later in 1982; the Canadian Federation Of Labor was formed. American unions had a great interaction and influence on Canadian labor unions. There was a push by the US based American Federation of Labor to have the labor movement in Canada unite with the labor union in Canada (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001).
International labor unions also infiltrated the Canadian labor movement, threatening the survival of home based unions like the Knights of labor. They attracted large numbers than local unions. (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). The recession in the late 1980s changes the focus of the unions due massive job loss. The unions became less aggressive in their opposition of capitalism. (Rouillard, McCallum, Frank & Palmer, 2001). The labor movement in Canada eventually achieved structure and purpose through various legislations and reconstruction throughout the 1990s. They broadened their focus to being more supportive of worker’s welfare more than their engagement in opposing the establishment.
References
Rouillard, J., McCallum, T., Frank, D., & Palmer, B. (2001). Working-Class History. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 25 February 2016, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/working-class-history/#top
