LABOUR DAY Many things that workers have today were fought for and won by workers and Unions that came before us. We continue their work to ensure that we don’t lose any ground, and make real progress in the fight to advance workers’ rights.
1872 Canada’s first real Labour Day parade was a protest by Toronto Typographical Union workers, who had been lobbying for a shorter work week. They went on strike in March. On April 14, about 2,000 workers took to the streets. By the time they reached Queen’s Park, the group was 10,000 strong.1
1940 Unemployment Insurance (now Employment Insurance/EI) in Canada came into effect as a result of a strike by employees at government work camps in B.C. who marched to Ottawa to demand a living wage. Canada was one of the last major western countries to enact an unemployment insurance system.3
1884 The Ontario Factories Act became the first law to regulate hours of work. The Act set a maximum of 10 hours per day / 60 hours per week for boys, girls, and women in the manufacturing industry.2
1960 Five immigrant workers died when a fire broke out in a tunnel they were working in, and panicked reaction by those outside the tunnel made it worse. The workers died of carbon monoxide poisoning and suffocation from inhaling smoke, sand and water. This tragedy led to occupational health and safety reforms, including Ontario’s Industrial Safety Act, followed by the Canada Labour (Safety) Code.3
1 https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/politics-law/the-first-labour-day 2 https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/about/cwr_interim/chapter_5_1.php 3 https://canadianlabour.ca/who-we-are/history/
1894 The first Monday in September became Labour Day and a statutory holiday in Canada.
1968 The Employment Standards Act (ESA) first came into effect and outlined maximum work hours, minimum wage, paid vacation, overtime pay, equal pay, and premium pay for work on statutory holidays.
1919 To demand fair wages and more, thousands of Winnipeg workers walked off the job on May 15. On June 21, police and hired Union busters fired into a crowd of thousands, killing two people and injuring many more. That ‘Bloody Saturday’ marked the end of the Winnipeg General Strike, the largest strike in Canadian history.3
1971 Canada introduced paid maternity leave of 15 weeks at 66% of a mother’s previous salary. Unions immediately began negotiating better benefits for mothers with longer paid leave and salary top ups. Plus, Unions negotiated for those on parental leave to return to their preleave jobs. By the end of the 1970s, women’s participation in the Canadian labour force had doubled, to 60%.3
1920 The Minimum Wage Act came into law setting a minimum wage for female employees. In the 1930s, this law was extended to male employees.2
1970s + Constant pressure from Unions and advocacy groups continue to make gains, including but not limited to: • Written termination notice and/or pay, • Lowered overtime threshold, • Severance Pay, • Hours of Work including Breaks/Rest Periods, • Job Protected Leave, • Improved Health & Safety including training and posted information.3
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