Vancouver general strike of 1935

Vancouver general strike of 1935
Title	Vancouver general strike of 1935
Date	June 1935
Place	Vancouver, British Columbia
Causes	Great Depression, unemployment, relief camps, On-to-Ottawa Trek, labor unrest
Methods	General strike, mass rallies, protests, picketing
Result	Temporary suppression, arrests, political realignment, labour organizing gains
Sides	Labour movement; City of Vancouver authorities, British Columbia Provincial Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Leadfigures1	Communist Party of Canada, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, Workers' Unity League, Trades and Labor Council (Vancouver), Harold Winch
Leadfigures2	Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, Premier Duff Pattullo, Mayor Gerald McGeer
Casualties	Arrests, injuries, no major fatalities

Vancouver general strike of 1935 was a large-scale work stoppage and mass protest in Vancouver during the depths of the Great Depression, marked by coordination among unions, leftist organizations, and unemployed workers. The strike reflected tensions from national events such as the On-to-Ottawa Trek and policy responses by the R. B. Bennett ministry and provincial authorities, producing confrontations with police and sparking debates across British Columbia and Canada. It influenced labour politics, relief policy, and the trajectory of left-wing movements including the Communist Party of Canada and the emerging Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.

Background and causes

The strike emerged from the economic collapse triggered by the Great Depression, provincial unemployment in British Columbia, and federal relief policies under the R. B. Bennett ministry. Conditions in relief camps administered by the Department of National Defence and overseen by officials such as Major-General Sir Arthur Currie-era structures had contributed to resentment that fed into the On-to-Ottawa Trek and the violent Regina Riot aftermath. Local disputes between the Trades and Labor Council (Vancouver) and employers in the Vancouver Harbour and logging sectors intersected with organizing by the Workers' Unity League and community groups like the Relief Camp Workers' Union, while national political shifts involving the Liberal Party of Canada and the Conservative Party of Canada influenced public debate. High-profile labour actions in cities such as Winnipeg General Strike (1919) and international examples like the British General Strike of 1926 provided precedents cited by organizers including activists linked to the Communist Party of Canada and trade unionists associated with the ILWU precursors.

Organization and key actors

Organizers drew on established institutions: the Trades and Labor Council (Vancouver), local branches of the Canadian Labour Congress-precursors, the Communist Party of Canada, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, and industrial unions in the maritime and construction sectors. Prominent labour figures and municipal politicians such as Harold Winch and councillors sympathetic to unions coordinated with activist networks including the Workers' Unity League and relief camp delegations from the Relief Camp Workers' Union. Religious and community groups like the Vancouver YWCA and Vancouver YMCA facilities hosted meetings, while leftist publications including The Worker and union papers circulated calls. National actors such as the C. H. Douglas-influenced social credit movement and critics within the Liberal Party of Canada debated responses, and federal officials from the Department of Labour (Canada) monitored developments. Employers in the Vancouver Board of Trade and business leaders allied with Mayor Gerald McGeer opposed the stoppage.

Course of the strike

The action began with mass meetings and coordinated walkouts in June 1935, featuring rallies at sites such as Victory Square (Vancouver) and marches toward the Vancouver Art Gallery-area precincts. Striking workers included those from docks controlled by proto-ILWU locals, construction crews, and municipal relief recipients, while students from institutions like the University of British Columbia staged sympathetic demonstrations. Organizers set up information bureaus using union halls and support from the Vancouver Labour Temple, and the strike featured picket lines at key infrastructure including the Pacific Great Eastern Railway and port terminals owned by companies linked to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Encounters between strikers and strikebreakers escalated in some neighborhoods such as the Downtown Eastside (Vancouver), prompting solidarity actions in other cities including Victoria, British Columbia and industrial centres like New Westminster.

Government and police response

Provincial and federal authorities responded with policing by the British Columbia Provincial Police and intervention from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, supported by municipal forces under Mayor Gerald McGeer. The R. B. Bennett ministry framed the strike within fears of radicalism tied to the Communist Party of Canada while the Pattullo ministry in Victoria authorized crowd control measures. Arrests and detentions occurred, and public order legislation from colonial-era statutes informed police tactics; military veterans and constables were mobilized in some operations reminiscent of prior confrontations such as the Regina Riot. Legal actions invoked labour law precedents set in cases brought before institutions like the Supreme Court of British Columbia and federal adjudication bodies within the Department of Labour (Canada).

Public reaction and media coverage

Local newspapers including the Vancouver Sun and the Province portrayed the strike through competing frames, with conservative outlets emphasizing fears of a Bolshevik threat and commercial disruption, while labour presses such as The Worker and union newsletters highlighted relief failures and organizers like Harold Winch. National media in Toronto and Montreal covered the unrest alongside parallel labour disputes, referencing international events like the Spanish Civil War-era tensions and earlier Canadian struggles such as the Winnipeg General Strike. Churches, business groups such as the Vancouver Board of Trade, and civic organizations issued statements; civic reactions ranged from sympathy in working-class districts like the Downtown Eastside (Vancouver) to alarm in affluent neighborhoods including Shaughnessy. Public opinion polls of the era and letter-writers in periodicals offered diverse perspectives, shaping political responses by parties including the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Conservative Party of Canada.

Aftermath and consequences

The strike was suppressed through arrests, injunctions, and negotiated withdrawals, but it accelerated union consolidation and contributed to the growth of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and left labour candidates in municipal and provincial elections. Key outcomes included expanded organizing in the maritime and logging sectors, revisions to relief administration within the Department of National Defence-managed camps, and legal precedents impacting labour disputes adjudicated by bodies like the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The events influenced federal politics affecting the R. B. Bennett ministry and later governments such as the William Lyon Mackenzie King administrations, while labour education through institutions like the Vancouver Labour Temple strengthened. Employers and municipal authorities adjusted brittle labour relations in port operations linked to the Canadian Pacific Railway and successor unions that would form the ILWU.

Legacy and historical significance

Historically, the strike is seen as a crucial episode in British Columbia labour history, linking local grievances to national movements including the On-to-Ottawa Trek and the formation of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. It informed later labour victories, contributed to the politicization of figures such as Harold Winch, and fed into debates that shaped social welfare reforms associated with the Depression era and postwar policy under leaders like William Lyon Mackenzie King. Scholars have situated the events within broader comparative studies of labour unrest alongside the Winnipeg General Strike and the British General Strike, and archives in institutions such as the Public Archives of British Columbia and the University of British Columbia hold collections documenting participants from the Communist Party of Canada, the Trades and Labor Council (Vancouver), and relief camp delegations. The episode remains a reference point in histories of Canadian labour, urban protest, and the political realignments of the 1930s.

Category:Labour disputes in Canada Category:History of Vancouver Category:1935 in Canada