The Formation and Fragmentation of the Canadian Working Class: 1820–1920

Abstract

Three periods of labour-market formation determined the making of the Canadian working class. The first occurred in the early 1830s with the building of the Rideau and Lachine canal systems, a development that created an unprecedented demand for wage labour. This labour market set in motion events leading to the exclusion of Quebec's peasantry, and profoundly affected subsequent relations between English Canadian and Quebec working classes. The second period came in the late 189Os.With the appearance of small factories in central Canada and the massive inflow of displaced workers from the Maritimes, the market for both skilled artisans and workers strengthened. Under the leadership of the militant craft workers, the Trades and Labour Congress (TLC), Canada's fledgling labour centre, was founded.

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