Winnipeg General Strike (Human Rights)

Section 41 of the Immigration Act (1919)

katherine — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:36:55 +0000

Section 41 of the Immigration Act (1919) katherine Fri, 05/17/2024 - 12:36

Section 41 of the Immigration Act (1919)

Section 41 of the Immigration Act was enforced in June 1919 (following the Winnipeg General Strike) and allowed government officials to deport individuals who advocated to overthrow of the government using force.
This change allowed the government to add more restrictive regulations to its immigration policy to protect Canada from what they deemed as dangerous ideologies.
As a result, officials could deport any alien or naturalized citizen who supported organizations that advocated for the overthrow of the government using force.
This led to the deportation of hundreds of trade unionists and communists and between 1931–1932, deportation numbers peaked at just over 7,000.
In 1931 23% of Canada's population at the time (being over 2.3 million) were at risk of deportation due to the provisions of the Immigration Act.

Citation

An Act to amend the Immigration Act, 9-10 George V. Chap. 25, Assented to 6th June, 1919. https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.9_08048

Section 98 of the Criminal Code (1919)

katherine — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:35:09 +0000

Section 98 of the Criminal Code (1919) katherine Fri, 05/17/2024 - 12:35

Section 98 of the Criminal Code (1919)

Parliament drafted Section 98 of the Criminal Code in 1919 in response to the labour unrest in Canada that ultimately resulted in the Winnipeg General Strike.
The wording for Section 98 was created largely on the basis of the War Measures Act (specifically Order-in-Council 2384).
Section 98 was in effect from 1919–1936 and it targeted "unlawful associations," which essentially widened the federal government's definition of sedition (the term used to describe conduct or speech that entices citizens to rebel against their state authority).
Section 98 made it illegal to be associated or part of any organization that intended to overthrow the government or bring forth economic change through force.
This law made it illegal to simply be part of political organizations (namely the Communist Party in Canada) and as a result, violated civil liberties.
The federal government also removed Section 133 from the Criminal Code, which protected individuals from sedition charges who criticized the government's actions or the constitutions.
These efforts were intended to suppress political dissent but despite these harsh measures, few people were actually convicted using this section of the Code before it was repealed in 1936.

Citation

Mackenzie, J. B.. "Section 98, Criminal Code and Freedom of Expression in Canada." Queen's Law Journal 1, (1971-1972) pg. 469. https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/queen1&div=25&id=&page=

The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike

katherine — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:33:08 +0000

The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike katherine Fri, 05/17/2024 - 12:33

The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike

The Winnipeg General Strike began on May 15, 1919, in Winnipeg, Manitoba in response to the poor economic and social conditions following the Second World War.
These economic and social conditions were felt acutely by skilled building and metal workers who were attempting to negotiate new wage and working conditions contracts, veterans who struggled to obtain jobs following the war, and Canadians across the country who were struggling due to high unemployment rates, inflation, and the rising costs of housing and food.
Trades workers, unionized, and non-unionized workers engaged in several strikes throughout May and June of 1919 and this event is known as the largest strike in Canadian history.
While the Winnipeg Strike did not necessarily result in major change for workers it still sparked change in different ways.
New unions and political parties formed to further workers' rights (ex. Independent Labour Party and later, the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation), politicians and labour activists began advocating for better treatment and higher wages, and it sparked the development of other policy initiatives for workers such as healthcare, minimum wage, employment insurance, anti-discrimination in the workplace, etc.
The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike brought forth the creation of several federal laws that restricted civil liberties.
Two notable policies include adding Section 98 to the Criminal Code, which the Canadian government used to target "unlawful associations" and secondly, the federal government added Section 41 to the Immigration Act allowing officials to deport any alien or naturalized citizen who claimed to forcibly overthrow the government.
These policies gave the government unusual powers to deport individuals who were either a non-citizen, who advocated for property destruction, or who were part of an organization that promoted overthrowing the government.

Citation

The Winnipeg Free Press. The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. Photograph. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/multimedia/fp-slideshow/2012/06/14/the-1919-winnipeg-general-strike