Industrialism and Workers in Canada

Chapter 13

A Radical Shift in Production The industrial Revolution began in Canada

shortly after Confederation By mid-century, many business owners were

gathering large groups of workers together in one location

Work became regimented and specialized Manufacturing, trade and commerce replaced

fish, fur, timber and wheat as key industries Improved balance of trade due to increased

prices for manufactured goods

The Ugly Side of Industrialization Timothy Eaton closed his stores at 8:00pm

and gave Saturday afternoons off in July and August which he argued made him a true friend of the worker

The Report of the Royal Commission on Labour and Capital of 1889 demonstrated widespread abuse by the owners who demanded “a large percentage of work with the smallest possible outlay of wages”

The Plight of Farmers The family farm was changing Mechanization of the farm began before

Confederation Mechanization was expensive, so it was slow to

come to rural areas More than half of Canadian made their living from

farming Farmers were prisoners to circumstance and

fluctuating prices The banks were owed much money due to

mechanization= foreclosures

The Rise of Labour1833 British Combination Act made

discussions of the plight of workers a “conspiracy”

1872 Unions were legalized and peaceful strikers would not be arrested

Macdonald was lukewarm to the plight of workers beyond the act

UnionsThe first unions were small and

organized around skilled trades Improve working lives and reduce the

impact of technological unemploymentFaced intimidation, blacklisting,

harassment and arrest especially when they tried to unionize semi-skilled and unskilled workers

The Canadian Labour UnionA Depression began in 1873 that

sidetracked the workers’ movementThe Canadian Labour Union was

formed as was a political arm from 31 craft unions all from Ontario

Immigration and the depression caused infighting and the demise of the union within the decade

The Knights of Labour1880s the U.S. based Knights of Labour

tried to organize all workers into one big union

Made inroads in Toronto and Hamilton20 000 members in 100 locationsWave of strikes in the 1880s met with

opposition from owners, government and the public

KOL cont’d KOL members were branded anarchists who

wanted to topple the government and form a classless society

KOL had mixed success in Quebec KOL had success in railway towns of Winnipeg

and Calgary, but not elsewhere out West Out East, workers rallied behind The Provincial

Workingman’s Association which was successful in membership and improving working conditions

Trades and Labour CongressCraft workers formed the Trades and

Labour Congress in 1886Excluded unskilled workers whom they

thought weakened the movementDivision between skilled and unskilled

lasted for decadesBy the turn of the century only 10% of

industrial workers were unionized

The International Workers of the World Common labourers, especially Navvies- men who

worked in construction camps- faced the worst conditions and received little help from unions

Horrible conditions in labour camps IWW from the U.S. came north to organize the

labourers IWW focused on the strike to improve conditions Railway construction workers from western

Canada and Northern Ontario followed the “Wobblies”

Progress? The Factory Act of1884 prohibited boys under

12 and girls under 14 from working, but was poorly enforced

Labour day became a stat holiday in 1894 1900 the Department of Labour was created

in gov’t 1889 Report of the Royal Commission on

Relations of Labour and Capital was a condemnation of the abuses of the industrial system

The Labour Movement on the Farm The Dominion Grange grew rapidly in rural

Ontario and Manitoba Co-operative action among farmers to own and

operate their economic concerns Grangers set up trust companies, fire insurance,

wholesale supply, storage and farmers’ elevators Shared expensive equipment By the late 1880s internal divisions caused it to

lose support and their policies were co-opted by mainstream political parties

Patrons of Industry Grew out of Sarnia in 1889 Successful in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba Lobbied for lower freight rates, land

distribution reform, reduced tariffs and an end to railway monopolies

In Ontario it became a political party that won 17 seats

Patrons declined after a labour and farm alliance fell apart

Populism Improved the lives of Canadian farmersOrganization was the key to improving

their livesPopulist is an umbrella term that

covered different ethnic, regional and political groups

Organize, lobby governments and publicize their views

SuccessThe Crowsnest Pass agreement

reduced freight ratesBanks became more accommodating to

farmersThe co-operative movement made

farmers more independent

The Coming of Urbanism1871 1/6 lived in town or city1900 1/3 lived in town or cityThe cities were growing in population

especially in the WestJobs in industry attracted people to the

citiesSchools, goods and services were

better and more plentiful in cities as well

Urban GrowthTransportation (railway stops)Land speculation (artificially created

land booms) Immigrant “Reception line” (hosts for

friends and families too poor to go west)Suburbanization began in 1800s

Urban Poverty Number of people living in poverty tripled

from the mid-century Half of all urban working class lived below or

at the poverty line No urban planning or zoning Land prices rose making people boarders or

renters Railways divided cities (wrong side of the

tracks)

CitiesTiny minority had brick houses and

servantsMost of the city was slumsTenement housingFamilies of 6 or more to a roomNo running water, sewage or garbage

collection

Cities cont’dCrime was rampantPolice, ambulance and fire were

ineffective Public health and sanitation was

primitiveAir quality was minimalEpidemics were common

The Reform MovementRead pp 313- 316 and Define:HumanitarianSocial GospelMuckrakersSuffragists