Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left - Part 2 - Born of Hard Times
The world plunges into the Great Depression which, like most leaders, Canada's R.B. Bennett refuses to combat with unbalanced budgets and government spending. Inspired by reports from Russia, many turn to communism for solutions. The 1937 General Motors strike in Oshawa gives the Congress of Industrial Organizations a toehold in Canada, but on the eve of World War II Canada's tiny unions remain blocked by restrictive labour laws and, like the equally tiny Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, locked in struggle with communist rivals. Part 2.
The world plunges into the Great Depression which, like most leaders, Canada's R.B. Bennett refuses to combat with unbalanced budgets and government spending. Inspired by reports from Russia, many turn to communism for solutions. The 1937 General Motors strike in Oshawa gives the Congress of Industrial Organizations a toehold in Canada, but on the eve of World War II Canada's tiny unions remain blocked by restrictive labour laws and, like the equally tiny Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, locked in struggle with communist rivals. Part 2.
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directorArthur Hammond
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producerArthur Hammond
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scriptArthur Hammond
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executive producerJohn SpottonJohn Taylor
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soundRobert YoungPeter Clements
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editingJack MorbinJohn Kramer
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sound editingAndré GalbrandAntonia McGrath
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narratorJill Frappier
Warnings: Canons, war scenes
How did industry change in Canada during the Great Depression? Why were Canadians initially so apprehensive about revolutionary change, despite the fact that many Canadians were unemployed or suffering? Why did other countries, like Sweden, decide to adopt more radical changes? What major challenges did the groups in Canada who hoped to form unions face? To what extent did American unions influence the development of social and political policies in Canada, and what lasting legacies did this impact leave on the Canadian labour movement or society as a whole?
More educational content
Imperfect Union: Canadian Labour and the Left - Part 2 - Born of Hard Times, Arthur Hammond, provided by the National Film Board of Canada