By Rajitha Sivakumaran
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U
nions and trades go hand in hand, but many Canadians are un-
aware of the deep history behind independent unions in Canada.
The rise of unions not affiliated with any labour federations is a
story about fighting the norm of labour unions rooted in Marxist ideology.
In the 1940s and 1950s, following the devastation of WWII, European im-
migrants arrived in Canada looking for a fresh start, work opportunities,
and a new place to call home. Entering the workplace, they experienced
a system of trade unionism that was different from the union plurality of
continental Europe, where unions were based on and formed according
to a number of different ideologies, explained Dick Heinen, Executive Di-
rector of the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC).
In Europe, workers can pick between the Socialist union, the Marxist
union, the Catholic union, the Christian union, and everything in between.
Most workplaces feature multi-union representation. Canadian unionized
workplaces, however, were predominantly based on a Marxist mentality
at that time. According to David Prentice, CLAC’s Provincial Director for
B.C., the Canadian system was modelled after the UK, which was very
different from the rest of Europe.
14 business elite canada
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MARCH 2017
