Canada History Week 2019: Working for the Future

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT IS CANADA HISTORY WEEK?

PG. 2

WOMEN IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

PG. 3

MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCES IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

PG. 5

ORGANIZED LABOUR & ACTIVISM IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

PG. 7

HISTORY IN THE CLASSROOM

PG. 9

HUMAN RIGHTS

PG. 10

GOVERNOR GENERAL’S AWARDS

PG. 11

PARTNERS

PG. 12

WHAT IS CANADA HISTORY WEEK?

Canada History Week provides all Canadians with opportunities to learn more about the people and events that have shaped the great country that we know today. Canada is full of unique people, places and events. Canada History Week is a great time to discover them! Past themes included: • In 2014, Canada History Week had a different theme each day: Discovering our National Museums, Discovering our Historic Sites, and more; • In 2015, the theme was sport through history which connected with the Year of Sport in Canada; • In 2016, the theme commemorated the 100th anniversary of women’s first right to vote in Canada, and great women in Canadian history; • In 2017, the theme was Human Rights in Canada: Challenges and Achievements on the Path to a More Inclusive and Compassionate Society ; • In 2018, the theme was Science, Creativity and Innovation: Our Canadian Story .

CANADA HISTORY WEEK 2019 Working for the Future: a century of change in how Canadians work

The week will highlight labour history and changes in the workplace in Canada. Throughout the week, we will share inspirational stories and highlight great work being done in the history community. Canada History Week is one great way to highlight the importance of the past in guiding our civic and public participation. WANT TO SHARE ONLINE? Post photos, videos and messages and take part in the discussion using the hashtag #HistoryWeek2019

WOMEN IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Helen Armstrong was a labour activist who fought for the rights of working class women. She led and organized women workers in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike and was one of only two women among some 50 men on the strike committee.

LOOKING FOR MRS. ARMSTRONG Who was that impassioned woman at the heart of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike? And why did her memory become lost to time? Filmmaker Paula Kelly set out to bring Helen Armstrong back from the margins of history.

Courtesy of Dorothy Dyer

THE WINNIPEG GENERAL STRIKE

On May 15, 1919, the city of Winnipeg ground to a halt when approximately 25,000 to 35,000 workers went on strike. On June 17, several of the strike leaders were arrested. Four days later, police clashed with participants of a silent march, organized by returning veterans, as they reached City Hall. Chaos ensued. Two people died, 30 were injured, and 94 arrested on what has come to be known as “Bloody Saturday.” Fearing more violence, union leaders ended the strike on June 25, without having achieved any improvements to working conditions.

ANNIE BULLER Annie Buller was a union activist who organized support for the communist-led Industrial Union of Needle Trades Workers in the early 1930s. While serving on the union’s executive board, she helped lead a general strike of Toronto dressmakers in 1931.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

MARIE LACOSTE Marie Lacoste was a feminist, social reformer, lecturer, educator and author. She was born at a time when French Canadian life was beginning to change drastically as a result of the Industrial Revolution . She believed that women – especially women who worked in factories – should have access to professional associations. In 1907, she helped establish the Fédération Nationale Saint-Jean Baptiste and its affiliated newspaper, La Bonne Parole .

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

MARIE-ANNE LAPORTE Marie-Anne Laporte was a factory worker, store clerk and labour activist who made significant contributions to the Association Professionnelle des Employées de Magasins. When she passed away in 1929, La Bonne Parole paid homage to her: “What an example for women employed in stores… And how she worked to improve the lot of those who earn their living as she earned hers!”

Courtesy of BAnQ, Centre d’archives de Montréal

THE IMPACT OF WOMEN ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT At the beginning of the 20th century, women mostly worked in the garment, textile, leather and tobacco industries. In response to the draft in 1917, ironworks and transportation equipment factories, which had traditionally hired only men, gave women positions that had until then been considered too physically or technically demanding for the fairer sex. But when the war ended in 1918, most women workers were shown the door. However, it would be incorrect to assume that women were accepting of their situation and did not take action. Between 1919 and 1939, a number of union movements arose and women were at the heart of almost half of all labour disputes, especially in Montreal.

MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCES IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

In 1945, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters negotiated a collective bargaining agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway that included salary increases, vacation and overtime pay. It also gave porters like Stanley G. Grizzle the right to wear name tags so that passengers would call them by their names. BLACK RAILWAY PORTERS AND THEIR UNION ACTIVITY Railway porters played a major role in the struggle for Black rights in Canada. Starting in the late 1880s, they emerged as leaders of Black Canadian communities in Montreal and in other urban centres. Through their unions, such as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the Order of Sleeping Car Porters, they gained recognition for Black people within the labour movement. After the Second World War, the porters made important contributions to the campaign for human rights, particularly through their struggle to end discrimination

in railway employment. SLEEPING CAR PORTERS Black porters stand up for fairness.

BROMLEY ARMSTRONG From his early days as a trade unionist and active leader in United Automobile Workers (UAW) Local 439 to his later role in restructuring the National Black Coalition of Canada, Bromley Armstrong was an outspoken labour and human rights activist working diligently for progressive social change.

Courtesy of Bromley Armstrong

TYMOFEI KOREICHUK Koreichuk was a Ukrainian Canadian labour activist who organized speaking events for the Ukrainian Social Democratic Party of Canada. His arrest and internment encapsulate the experience of thousands of Ukrainian labourers who migrated to Canada before the First World War.

Courtesy of Queen’s University Archives

RICHARD HENRY LEAHEY As an Irish Catholic labourer, Leahy organized the Knights of Labor in Quebec City in the 1880s. He was also a member of the Quebec Ship Labourers’ Benevolent Society – one of the strongest unions in Canada in the 20th century.

Courtesy of National Archives

Between 1880 and 1885, 15,000 Chinese labourers completed the British Columbia section of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). More than 600 perished under appalling and adverse working conditions.

ORGANIZED LABOUR & ACTIVISM IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

One of the longest and most violent labour conflicts in Quebec history, the 1949 Asbestos Strike paralyzed major asbestos mines in Quebec for almost five months. Journalist Gérard Pelletier is well known for his reporting on the Strike for Le Devoir . ASBESTOS STRIKE: TURNING POINT IN QUEBEC HISTORY The strike that began on 14 February 1949 in Asbestos , Quebec , is one of those events that resonate beyond the immediate and define history. It was, as Pierre Trudeau later wrote, “a violent announcement that a new era had begun.” For the workers, back to work in the dangerous air of the asbestos mines, the strike was no revolution. Their material gains were small. Many were not rehired, and little was done to alleviate the working conditions that would take many lives over the next generation.

DEADLY SECRET A 1940s whistle-blower uncovers hidden evidence linking asbestos to cancer.

ON TO OTTAWA TREK In 1935, about 1,500 residents of federal Unemployment Relief Camps in British Columbia went on strike and travelled by train to Ottawa to protest poor conditions in the Depression -era camps. The strike leaders were eventually arrested, resulting in the violent Regina Riot .

Courtesy of Toronto Star .

STANDING THE GAFF On June 11, 1925, company police killed coal miner William Davis during a standoff at Waterford Lake, Nova Scotia, which marked the height of tensions as striking workers demanded better working conditions and recognition of their union from coal companies. Besco Vice-President John McLurg said: “we have all the cards … eventually they will have to come to us … they can’t stand the gaff.” This phrase became the strikers’ motto, describing their ability to endure the long-term hardships resulting from coalfield work. The Nova Scotia Coal Fields in Sydney and Stellarton are designated national historic sites.

Courtesy of National Film Board of Canada and Library and Archives Canada

KNIGHTS OF LABOR A cadre of historians, artists and activists champion social justice via comic books. In 2013, they published a free comic on Canada’s

early labour movement.

HISTORY IN THE CLASSROOM

YOUNG CITIZENS From changing working

conditions at factories to the role of labour activists in strikes, these eight Young Citizens videos share stories about the history of work in Canada.

TAKING A STAND Bring labour history into your classroom with these lesson plans and activities.

Everyone has to work, whether they do chores around the house, work in a factory, run a farm, go to an office job, fish for a living, work in a mine — Canadians do all kinds of paid and unpaid work. Fortunately, there have always been people trying to help to ensure better pay and better conditions for workers. Learn their stories in the April 2019 issue of Kayak: Canada at Work .

HUMAN RIGHTS

Article 1 Everyone under 18 has these rights. For example, the Convention on the Rights of the Child , which marks its 30th anniversary on National Child Day , November 20, recognizes a child’s right to play and rest, the right to be protected from work that is harmful or dangerous, and the right not to be exploited. Canada, a founding member of the ILO, remains committed to promoting safer workplaces and combatting labour exploitation. In June 2019, Canada ratified Protocol 29, the Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention and Convention 81 on Labour Inspection . To learn more about human rights, including your rights in the workplace, visit Canada.ca . Article 2 All children have these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what their parents do, what language they speak, what their religion is, whether they are a boy or girl, what their culture is, whether they have a disability, or whether they are rich or poor. No child should be treated unfairly on any basis. Article 3 All adults should do what is best for you. When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect children. Article 4 The government has a Canada works with partners, such as the United Nations and the International Labour Organization (ILO), to improve the lives of workers, at home and around the world. Several of the principal United Nations international human rights treaties to which Canada is a party include labour rights.

responsibility to make sure your rights are protected. They must help your family protect your rights and create an environment where you can grow and reach your potential. Article 10 If you live in a different country than your parents, you have the right to be together in the same place. Article 11 You have the right to be protected from kidnapping.

Article 7 You have the right to a name, and this should be officially recognized by the government.You have the right to a nationality (to belong to a country).

Article 9 You have the right to live with your parent(s), unless it is bad for you.You have the right to live with a family who cares for you.

Article 8 You have the right to an identity – an official record of who you are. No one should take this away from you.

Article You have th your opinio adults to lis seriously.

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Article You have th your own r beliefs. You help you de right and w is best for y

THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD in child friendly language

Article 16 You have the right to privacy.

Every child in Canada and around the world from birth to 18 has rights. Rights are what you should have or be able to do to survive, thrive and meet your full potential. All rights are equally important and are connected to each other.You are born with these rights, and no one can take them away. UNICEF Canada wants to support you and your school as you explore rights, respect and responsibility for yourself and others here and around the world. UNICEF Canada’s Rights Respecting Schools (RRS) initiative uses the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the Convention) to make sure everyone feels included and respected.This includes giving you meaningful opportunities to voice opinions about your school, and to make it the best school it can be!

©UNICEF Canada/2010/SriUtami

Article 17 You have the right to get information that is important to your well-being, from radio, newspaper, books, computers and other sources. Adults should make sure that the information you are getting is not harmful, and help you find and understand the information you need.

Article 18 You have the right to be raised by your parent(s) if possible.

Article 19 You have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, in body or mind.

Article 22 You have the right to special protection and help if you are a refugee (if you have been forced to leave your home and live in another country), as well as all the rights in this Convention.

Article 23 You have the right to special education and care if you have a disability, as well as all the rights in this Convention, so that you can live a full life.

Article 21 You have the right to care and protection if you are adopted or in foster care.

Article 20 You have the right to special care and help if you cannot live with your parents.

Article 27 You have the right to food, clothing, a safe place to live and to have your basic needs met.You should not

Article 26 You have the right to help from the government if you are poor or in need.

Article Your educa help you us your talent It should al

Article 24 You have the right to the best healthcare possible, safe water to drink, nutritious food, a clean

Article 25 If you live in care or in other situations away from home, you have the right to have these living arrangements

Article 28 You have the right to a

Courtesy of UNICEF Canada. Click here to see the full image.

good quality education.You should be encouraged to go to school to the highest level

GOVERNOR GENERAL’S HISTORY AWARDS

Is there someone in your community who is working hard to research, share, and showcase Canadian history? The Governor General’s History Awards celebrate individuals and organizations who champion a deeper understanding of our past. Nominations and applications are accepted year-round in five categories: • Community Programming • Museums • Popular Media • Scholarly Research • Teaching

Visit CanadasHistory.ca/ApplyGG for more information.

Canada’s National History Society is pleased to administer the Governor General’s History Awards with the support of the Government of Canada and in partnership with the Canadian Historical Association and the Canadian Museums Association.

PARTNERS

We’re the Canada people; we offer programs that you can use to explore, learn and reflect on our history, and what it means to be Canadian. Our programs, all offered bilingually, reached nearly 28 million Canadians last year. Our goal is to bring history to life with rich and compelling stories of national interest. We also support educators with curriculum-focused materials to inspire the next generation of history lovers and proud Canadians.

Canada’s History Society was established in 1994 through the generous support of The Hudson’s Bay Company History Foundation. Our mission is to promote greater popular interest in Canadian history, principally through publishing, education, and recognition programs. The Society’s work includes: Canada’s History magazine, Kayak : Canada’s History Magazine for Kids, CanadasHistory.ca , and the Governor General’s History Awards.

B D C Dictionnaire biographique du Canada www.biographi.ca

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography/Dictionnaire biographique du Canada is a bilingual scholarly research and publishing project at the University of Toronto and Université Laval. It is recognized as one of the best national biographical dictionaries in the world and provides free online access at www.biographi.ca to more than 8,600 biographies of individuals who have played an important role in Canadian history.

Dictionary of Canadian Biography

www.biographi.ca

The Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) is a non-profit organization whose main objective is to increase Canadians’ knowledge of their country via conferences, publications, learning materials and research. The ACS initiates and supports multidisciplinary projects and activities which offer potential for enhancing knowledge about Canadian society. The ACS directs special attention to the manner in which key historical events, immigration and diversity shape current realities. The ACS continuously works on broadening its nationwide network of educators, university professors, researchers, journalists and policy makers. This network allows the ACS to foster a unique environment for cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary conversations about our country, its past, present and its future.

Canadian Heritage and its portfolio organizations play a vital role in the cultural, civic and economic life of Canadians. Arts, culture and heritage represent $53.8 billion in the Canadian economy and more than 650,000 jobs in sectors such as film and video, broadcasting, music, publishing, archives, performing arts, heritage institutions, festivals and celebrations.

The Canada History Fund supports the development of learning materials and activities that contribute to increasing Canadians’ knowledge about Canada. The fund aims to increase understanding of Canada’s history, stories, people and systems of government.

The Human Rights Program at Canadian Heritage coordinates discussions with provincial and territorial governments, through the Continuing Committee of Officials on Human Rights , to meet Canada’s reporting obligations under seven United Nations human rights treaties . The program also undertakes activities to enhance general awareness and understanding of human rights. For example, it provides access to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in various formats and promotes Human Rights Day on December 10 each year.

On behalf of the people of Canada, we protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations.