WORKERS AND THE STATE (INCLUDING GOVERNMENT, COURTS, MILITARY, AND THE POLICE)
Since the 19th century, Canadian governments (at the local, provincial/territorial, and federal levels) have espoused an enduring belief in economic progress and the values of industrial capitalism. Typically led by prominent entrepreneurs and lawyers, they have tended to be more sympathetic to companies than to workers. When dealing with labour conflict, they have frequently used the police, military, and the courts to discourage work stoppages and crush labour activism and protest. Only since the 1940s has a more flexible approach been adopted which seeks to win the support of workers and organized labour in order to discourage left-wing sentiment and encourage a moderate labour position.
The State actively began to promote industrial development in the late 19th century. Provincial and territorial governments passed a series of Factory and
The Mounted Police charging down Main Street during the Winnipeg General Strike, 21 June 1919
© Library and Archives Canada [LAC] , C-37275 |
Mining Acts in the 1870s and 1880s designed to set safety and other standards for industry. These acts were written primarily with the interests of companies in mind to encourage a stable investment climate. The legal right of workers to organize and strike was not yet clear. With only a few exceptions, the three levels of government identified the 'public good' with property rights rather than the interests of workers and unions. When strikes occurred, the government often sent in the police, or in many cases the militia, to defend property, maintain order, and prevent strikers from interfering with the activities of strikebreaking workers. This pattern continued well into the first half of the 20th century.
In a few cases, the pro-company point of view was tempered by governments seeking to court the working-class vote. For instance, the government of Nova Scotia sought the support of the province's coal miners in the 1880s by passing safety measures and other reforms favourable to them. Similarly,
Prime Minister R.B. Bennett giving a speech at the time of the On-To-Ottawa Trek, 1935
© Library and Archives Canada [LAC] , PA-052387 |
the Liberal government of Alberta after 1905 brought in a series of reforms, including the eight-hour work day, designed to win workers' support. The federal government, at the instigation of Mackenzie King, the deputy minister of labour, sought to discourage strikes in industries deemed of national importance, such as coal mining, by bringing in the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act of 1907 recognizing the rights of both sides in labour disputes and establishing a mandatory period of conciliation and negotiation before a legal strike could be begun.
When the labour movement became more left-wing after the First World War, governments in Canada moved quickly and decisively against the perceived threat to the status quo. During the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, police attacked striking workers and arrested strike leaders. The federal government sought to undermine support for the One Big Union by encouraging workers to back more moderate unions. Legislation was passed making it easier to arrest labour activists on the grounds of sedition. The creation of the RCMP as a national police force in 1920 was intended at least partly to guard against threats to national security. There was continued intervention in the years to come: the military were sent in against striking miners in Cape Breton in the 1920s; communist leaders and other activists were arrested during the 1920s and 1930s; the police intervened in Regina to break up the On-to-Ottawa Trek of the unemployed in the midst of the economic depression in 1935.
Since the 1940s, there has been a new emphasis on conciliation. Provincial and federal governments have introduced several measures intended to minimize conflict and discourage proposals for comprehensive social change by making concessions to workers and unions. The right of workers to organize and bargain collectively was finally established, temporarily during the Second World War to maintain
Protesters en route to Ottawa during the On-to-Ottawa Trek, 1935
© Library and Archives Canada [LAC] , C-029399 |
peace during a time of international crisis, and then permanently by federal legislation in 1948. The provincial governments generally followed the federal lead in this initiative, which was calculated to win support for moderate unions at the expense of those favouring more comprehensive reform. During the same period, the federal government, working in co-operation with the provinces, began introducing social welfare measures intended to improve the lot of working people and encourage social stability. Between 1940 and the 1960s, unemployment insurance, universal old age pensions, and hospital and health insurance provisions were all established. These measures have decreased but not eliminated the friction between the working class and the various levels of government.