Canada History Week 2019: Working for the Future

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.