In May 1919- June 26, 1919, Canadian protesters lined up in the streets of Winnipeg and began to fight for their justice. Over thirty thousand people fought in one of Canada’s largest strikes. Many were returning veterans from the war who realized that after they returned, they didn’t have a job. These men and women were underpaid, over worked and the condition of their workplaces were inhabitable. The unemployment rate soared as many factories shut down as after the war, many supplies like ammunition and grenades were no longer needed. The cost of living at the time rose by sixty-four percent over 1913. On May 1, 1919, Winnipeg’s metal workers and builders went on strike for higher wages and were followed by an appeal for a general strike by the Winnipeg Trade and Labour Council …show more content…
In the Manitoba election of 1920, 11 labour candidates won seats and four of those were strike leaders. It took another twenty years before collective bargaining was recognized but over those years, Winnipeg’s economy went into a decline and remained that the Conservatives (south end) and the working class (north end). John Queen, who was arrested for being a part of the strike was elected mayor a few years later. The workers of Winnipeg decided to join the One Big Union which was a small regional union led by R.B. Russell until 1956. The Winnipeg General Strike affected Canada as it was one of the most influential strikes in Canadian history which later became the platform for other labour reforms. The strike helped Canada today as it helped with women’s equality as it helped Nelly McClung and the other members of the Famous of Five fight towards equality of women.
The Famous Five women that fought for women’s equality in the right to vote and the right to have equal positions in jobs as men and