The Winnipeg Strike (DRAFT, not cited)

The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was one of the most influential strikes in Canadian history. It resulted in much improved working conditions for millions of Canadians. After World War I many Canadian soldiers returned home to find few opportunities, all the while companies had enjoyed enormous profits on war contracts. Wages and working conditions were dismal and labour regulations were mostly non-existent.

This was in fact the pretext the then Minister of Justice Arthur Meighen used to accuse the strike leaders of being Communists and many were deported from Canada.

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.

In Winnipeg, workers within the building and metal industries attempted to unionize by forming the Building Trade Council and Metal Trade Council respectively, but the management refused to negotiate. Due to the restrictions of labour policy in the 1900s a union could be recognized only voluntarily by employers or through strike action. Therefore, workers from both industries went on strike to gain union recognition.

The Building and Metal Trade Councils further appealed to the Trades and Labour Union, the central union body representing the interests of many of Winnipeg's workers, for support in their endeavours. The Trades and Labour Union in a show of union solidarity voted in favour of a sympathetic strike in support of the Building and Metal Trade Councils. By 11 AM on May 15, 1919, virtually the entire working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job. 30,000 to 35,000 people were on strike in a city of 200,000. Even essential public employees such as fire fighters went on strike, but returned midway through the strike with the approval of the Strike Committee. The Winnipeg Police were technically on strike but in practice remained on patrol.

The local newspapers, the Manitoba Free Press and Winnipeg Tribune had lost the majority of their employees due to the strike and took a decidedly anti-strike stance. The New York Times front page proclaimed "Bolshevism Invades Canada." The Manitoba Free Press called the strikers "bohunks," "aliens," and "anarchists." They ran cartoons depicting hooked-nosed Jewish radicals throwing bombs. These anti-strike views greatly influenced the opinions of Winnipeg residents.

On June 17 the federal government ordered the arrest of ten strike leaders. Four days later strikers assembled at Market Square where Royal North-West Mounted Police were sent and charged into a crowd of strikers beating them with clubs and firing weapons. One man was killed and at least 30 were injured in what became known as "Bloody Saturday." Eastern European immigrants were rounded up and deported.

A Royal Commission investigated the strike and found that the strike was not a criminal conspiracy by foreigners and suggested that "if Capital does not provide enough to assure Labour a contented existence...Government might find it necessary [to intervene] and let the state do these things at the expense of Capital".

After a heavy Conservative defeat in the 1921 election the succeeding Liberal government, fearing the growing support for hard left elements, pledged to enact the labor reforms proposed by the Commission. In this way the Winnipeg General Strike can be said to have resulted in much improved working conditions for millions of Canadians.