Post on 24-Dec-2015
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