Publications

First “gay rights” demonstration on Parliament Hill

On August 28, 1971 demonstrators presented a manifesto entitled “We Demand” that outlined a series of demands for equal rights for gays and lesbians. This was the first public march of its kind on Parliament Hill. Summer is the time for Pride events and marches in Canada. But while these celebrations are now somewhat commonplace in many cities across the…

Songs of solidarity and social justice

One of Canada’s earliest folk music festivals was held on August 18, 1961 at Oval Park in Orillia, Ontario. The struggles of working people for fairness and social justice have been, and are still the focus of many folk singers. So many songs are linked to the history of unions and the lives of workers – a part of labour…

Heron bridge collapse: Ontario’s worst workplace disaster

On the afternoon of August 10, 1966, a 160-foot span of a new bridge being built over the Rideau River and Canal gave way, dropping hundreds of tons of half set concrete about 60 feet into the river valley. Nine workers were killed and another 55 injured in the disaster – Ontario’s worst workplace “accident” It’s not listed among the…

Passage of the unemployment insurance act

On August 5, 1940, the federal government passed the Unemployment Insurance Act, establishing a fundamental pillar of Canada’s social safety net. Years of political pressure from unions, social groups and the CCF (which became the NDP) forced the Liberal government to take action, even though the constitution had to be amended. More than 75 years later, the program has been…

Labour leader’s murder triggers Canada’s first general strike

On July 27, 1918, Albert “Ginger” Goodwin, a well-known BC coalminer, pacifist and advocate for better working conditions in Canada’s mining sector, was hunted down and killed by a police officer. News of his death, which many believed were the result of his union activism, sparked Canada’s first General Strike as workers in Vancouver put down their tools and protested…

“Radical” for its time – the regina manifesto defined Canadian values.

On July 19, 1933, at a conference in Regina, people gathered to imagine a better country – economically sustainable, socially responsible, and fair. Their vision was, at first, called “radical”, a recipe for disaster. Within a generation it became the blueprint for Canadian social policy for the remainder of the 20th century and defined the values that many identify as…

Workers win equality for same-sex spouses

On July 15, 1996 federal government workers in same-sex relationships finally received the same workplace benefits as their co-workers had been receiving for partners and spouses of the opposite gender. Equal access to pension, health care, dental and other spousal benefits was finally won after years of struggle by lesbian, gay and bisexual workers who, backed by their unions, took…

Canada’s biggest riot – Canada day, 1935

On July 1, 1935 thousands of people were on the streets of Regina, not to mark their country’s birthday, but to support a group of workers who were protesting against high unemployment, income insecurity and unfair working conditions. When the RCMP charged in to break things up, it caused the biggest riot in Canadian history (so far). The “On To…

Canadian postal workers go on strike for maternity leave – and win big!

On June 30, 1981, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers led its members into a strike to win improved maternity leave benefits. The strike lasted 42 days and changed everything. It won 17 weeks of paid maternity leave and set a new standard for parental benefits that all workers would soon access. In 1981 after a 42-day strike, the Canadian…

“One big union” founded in Calgary on june 4, 1919″

The National Industrial Union of the Dominion of Canada – also known as “One Big Union” (OBU) – was born out of a desire to unite all workers into a single union, driven by class rather than profession, occupation or nationality. Aggressive in its willingness to strike to further the interests of its membership, the OBU was painted as “radical”…