1-07-1935 In Regina, Saskatchewan, a rally in support of the On-to-Ottawa Trek of unemployed workers is attacked by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Two men are killed and 100 injured. The Dominion Day riot contributes to the defeat of Prime Minister R.B. Bennett. [more]

1-07-1923 Provincial police charge crowds at the Sydney steel plant in Nova Scotia, where workers are on strike for union recognition. When the mineworkers come out in support, their leaders are arrested. Memories of Bloody Sunday help lead to union recognition. [more]

3-07-1979 Longshoremen in Saint John, New Brunswick refuse to load heavy water for the military dictatorship in Argentina. The celebrated No Candu/Hot Cargo protest brings attention to the abuse of human rights and secures the release of several political prisoners. [more]

7-07-1983 British Columbia introduces 26 bills to cut public services and limit union rights. Operation Solidarity launches a province-wide mobilization, supported by a wider Solidarity Coalition. This takes the province to the verge of a general strike. [more]

8-07-1900 First Nations, European and Japanese Canadian fishers on the Fraser River win a strike for a standard seasonal rate for their catch. It is the start of unionism in the British Columbia fishery, but a year later ethnic divisions lead to defeat. [more]

9-07-1793 Black petitioners and abolitionist allies succeed in gaining a law to limit slavery in Upper Canada. The importation of additional slaves is prohibited, and the children of slaves are to be freed at 25 years of age. [more]

11-07-1962 The road to universal health care reaches a turning point when Saskatchewan doctors fail to win public support for their strike against the implementation of medicare. Saskatchewan goes on to set the model for the rest of the country. [more]

14-07-1946 In Hamilton, Ontario steelworkers take on the country's biggest steel producer in a crucial strike for union recognition. With strong community support, the steelworkers hold the line for almost three months to win an historic victory. [more]

23-07-1965 Postal workers across the country begin a wildcat strike that leads to full union recognition and collective bargaining rights in the postal service. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers soon emerges as one of the most militant public sector unions. [more]

24-07-1941 Thousands of workers in Arvida, Québec go on an illegal wartime strike and occupy the Alcan aluminium plant. The federal government claims enemy sabotage and sends troops. Work resumes while a settlement is negotiated. [more]

27-07-1918 Ginger Goodwin, a union organizer and socialist, is shot and killed by a special constable in the woods near Cumberland, British Columbia. In Vancouver his shooting leads to the province's first one-day general strike. [more]

28-07-1932 Three young boys die in an abandoned coal mine in Minto, New Brunswick. Two of the coal miners who come to their rescue also perish. The tragic event leads to the province's first mine safety legislation. [more]

31-07-1961 The founding convention of the New Party, soon to be the New Democratic Party, opens in Ottawa. Strongly supported by the Canadian Labour Congress, it replaces the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas is chosen as leader. [more]