The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was one of the most influential strikes in Canadian history, and became the platform for future labour reforms.
Although many Canadian companies had enjoyed enormous profits on World War I contracts, wages and working conditions were dismal and labour regulations were mostly non-existent.
In March 1919 labour delegates from across Western Canada convened in Calgary to form a branch of the "One Big Union", with the intention of earning rights for Canadian workers through a series of strikes. A drastic amount of men and women- some unionised and some not were all of different trades of skill and from different ethnic backgrounds shared class solidarity of inequality in Canada and wanted to achieve what was essential for themselves.
Read more about Winnipeg General Strike: End of The War, Aftermath, Role of Women, Historiography, Commemorations in Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words general and/or strike:
“We have grown literally afraid to be poor. We despise anyone who elects to be poor in order to simplify and save his inner life. If he does not join the general scramble and pant with the money-making street, we deem him spiritless and lacking in ambition.”
—William James (1842–1910)
“I’ll never strike at your past, not even with a flower.”
—Samuel Fuller (b. 1911)