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Until the late 19th century, Canadian workers often had to cope with terrible working conditions: long hours, few holidays, and minimal rights. In fact, even quitting a job could be a criminal offence for a worker, punishable by imprisonment under the Master and Servant Act. Although local unions existed, it was illegal to form unions until the late 1800s. Unions in the late 1800s and early 1900s made strides in improving working conditions and salaries of workers in Canada. However, not all industries were unionized, and working conditions were not necessarily equitable in all industries. Garment workers turned to unions to help them achieve a different working environment.

Students will complete an online scavenger hunt to answer questions that will help them understand organized labour in Canada and in their province.

Have students review their completed worksheet and reflect on the experience. They should then write a paragraph that describes:

what they learned from the activity

what surprised them most

to what extent they detected bias or validity problems when seeking information about organized labour, and what they did to combat it

You may also wish to have students create flowcharts to map out the process of union certification (formation) and decertification.