Canadian Labour Revolt

The Canadian Labour Revolt was a loosely connected series of strikes, riots, and labour conflicts that took place across Canada between 1918 and 1925, largely organized by the One Big Union (OBU).

It was caused by a variety of factors including rising costs of living, unemployment, intensity of work, the unwillingness of employers to recognize unions, and the ongoing international revolution. The One Big Union aimed to overthrow capitalism and the Canadian state and replace it with a socialist system based on worker control of industry and a democratic system with representation based on workplace instead of residential location.

Inspired by the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the Spartacist uprising in Germany, labour unions in Canada grew increasingly militant. The revolt commenced with the Vancouver general strike on 2 August 1918. The general strike was violently suppressed by the military, and union offices were ransacked. Victor Midgley, the leader of the strike, was thrown out of a window, and forced to kiss the British flag. The suppression of the strike enraged the labour movement, with many labour leaders and union locals calling for revolution against the Canadian government. At the September 1918 national conference of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada (TLC), the umbrella organization to which Canadian unions belonged, A. S. Wells, leader of the BC Federation of Labour said "we will have to have our industrial organization similar to that which has proven of such benefit in Russia." The growing radicalism was denounced by the TLC.

In March 1919, radical unions left the TLC and formed the One Big Union. The OBU organized over 100 general strikes by 1925, the most prominent being the Winnipeg general strike. Italian revolutionary Antonio Gramsci proclaimed that in Canada, "Industrial strikes have taken on the overt character of a bid to install a Soviet regime". The Labour Revolt ended in 1925 with the defeat of the steel and mine workers at the Battle of Waterford Lake on June 11, 1925.

In the aftermath of WWI, Canada suffered from severe inflation. The cost of living increased by 48% between 1916 and 1918, increasing to 128% by 1920. Rent, fuel, and food all saw their prices increase significantly. Many who had been working in war time industries such as munitions became unemployed. Additionally, industries such as clothing and metalworking began implementing technology to streamline jobs. This made work more repetitive, intensive and rendered skills like craftsmanship redundant. A report conducted by the federal government found industrial workers suffered from poor working conditions, increasing working hours, and low wages. Child labour still persisted, and the condition of female workers was significantly worse than their male counterparts.

The Russian Revolution contributed to the increasing unrest within the Canadian working class, inflaming tensions between them and their employers. Organizations such as the Socialist Party of Canada and the Industrial Workers of the World saw significant increases of popularity, attracting many to the ideas of syndicalism, socialism, and communism.

Within the Canadian labour movement, there were increasing divisions regarding the purpose of labour unions. The socialist or 'radical' faction believed that overthrowing capitalism and establishing workers' control industry with production for use should be the ultimate goal. This lead the socialists to favour industrial unionism, which organized all workers into the same union regardless of occupation, craft, or skill level. The radical faction was also supportive of the Bolshevik Revolution, which alienated them from the Canadian government and sections of the middle class who were otherwise sympathetic of the labour movement. The moderate faction, which made up a majority of the Trades and Labour Congress leadership argued that the purpose of unionism should be to negotiate only for material gains such as working hours and wages. The moderates favoured craft unionism, which organized workers based on their trade. The moderate faction was significantly influenced by Samual Gompers and the American Federation of Labour, to which the TLC was affiliated. The ongoing allied intervention against the Bolshevik Revolution further embellished this divide. The radical faction demanded the 6000 Canadian soldiers deployed to fight the Russian communists be recalled, where as the moderates were silent on the issue.

Between 1916 and 1918, Calgary, Alberta's union density increased by 35%, making it the 8th most unionized city in the country. Industrial unionism over took craft unionism in the city, with the Building Trades Council, the Carpenters District Council, and the CPR Federated Trades Council becoming some of the largest of the city's 44 unions. Within the Calgary Trades and Labor Council (ETLC), socialists began to amass significant power. Socialist Andrew Broatch became leader of the machinist local, and was elected to the city council. In 1917, R.L Tallon was elected leader of the Railway Employees Department's 4th Division, representing over 50,000 workers across Alberta. Alex Ross won a seat to Alberta's legislative assembly.