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In recent years, poverty-level minimum wages have been the focus of considerable debate across the various provincial jurisdictions and at the federal level in Canada. Similar interest has been expressed in the United States as evidenced by many successful campaigns to raise the minimum wage. Some economists argue that raising the minimum wage will kill low wage jobs, hurting the very people it was intended to assist by pricing them out of the job market. Still others, primarily concerned with poverty and inequality, see raising the minimum wage as an important policy tool for eliminating poverty and promoting equality. How can the latter group engage with others so as to raise the minimum wage above the poverty line? How can they ensure that a person or family earn a decent living - what is commonly termed a “living wage”? -- Publisher's description

Examines the effects of the sudden plant closings on the principle of freedom of association and the right of workers to organize in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

This article is based on Final Report: The Effects of Plant Closing or Threat of Plant Closing on the Right of Workers to Organize. The report was commissioned by the tri-national Labor Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation (the NAFTA labor commission) "on the effects of the sudden closing of the plant on the principle of freedom of association and the right of workers to organize in the three countries."

Canada’s unions have long brought workers together in solidarity and unity to carry on the fight against racism in our workplaces and communities. As we mark Human Rights Day—observed annually on December 10—Canada’s unions are calling out rising hate and racism, and underscoring the path set 25 years ago when they released the National Anti-Racism Task Force report titled Challenging Racism: Going Beyond Recommendations. This ground-breaking report explored systemic racism in union structures, our communities, institutions and society. It highlighted the perspectives, concerns, and recommendations of labour and community activists from across the country. --CLC website news release, Human Rights Day, 2022-12-10

The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) concerns government policy with respect to the original historical nations of this country. Those nations are important to Canada, and how Canada relates to them defines in large measure its sense of justice and its image in its own eyes and before the world. The RCAP was established by Order in Council on August 26, 1991, and it submitted its report in October 1996. --Website description. Contents: v. 1. Looking forward, looking back (695 pages) -- v.2. Restructuring the relationship (1,063 pages) -- v.3. Gathering strength (668 pages) -- v.4. Perspectives and realities (612 pages) -- v.5. Renewal: A twenty-year commitment (609 pages).

The objectives of the National Round Table on Aboriginal Economic Development and Resources were to stimulate discussion of the economic development challenges facing Aboriginal peoples and to elicit suggestions on how these challenges can best be met. The results of the Round Table were to contribute to the formulation of the Royal Commission’s final recommendations. To bring a broad range of perspectives to the discussion, participants included those knowledgeable in economic development and resources issues and those with expertise in the creation and implementation of economic development initiatives benefitting Aboriginal communities — with a balance in terms of gender, age and Aboriginal identification. Economic development issues are very broad-ranging. To help focus discussion, five issue groups or themes were selected, and participants were asked to consider particular questions relating to each of the themes. Discussion papers were commissioned on each of the themes, and a series of examples or models of individual and community enterprise in economic development were presented. --Objectives, p. 1.

The purpose of this report is to determine whether women are increasingly being involved in the decision-making process of Canadian unions. The scope of review of this report is restricted to public sector unions and one private sector union in the province of Ontario. A combination of methods were utilized in completing this study, including an overview of existing research, a review of statistical data, and an analysis of policy statements, convention resolutions and general union literature. The results of this review indicate that labour organizations have paid significant and increasing attention to women’s issues over the past 15 to 20 years; union policies have encompassed aspects of women’s inequality within the union, in the workplace and in society. Many unions, particularly the central labour organizations, have adopted policies of internal affirmative action, they have increased the amount of education available to staff and union members on women’s issues, they have implemented policies providing child care services during union functions such as conventions and workshops, and they have provided regular coverage of women’s issues in membership publications. While these progressive policies are a positive indication of the unions’ commitment to attaining women’s equality, they are not a guarantee of prolonged or significant increases in women’s participation in union decision-making activities. Labour organizations must be careful not to overestimate the effectiveness of their policies, and they must redouble their efforts to win the battle against discrimination within their hierarchies and structures. To this end, unions must ensure that their policies are fully implemented in practice. They must also continue to educate their staff and union members about the benefits of providing women with equal opportunities. The labour movement can only grow stronger through greater solidarity between its union sisters and brothers.

This Commission was established by the federal government and was publicly announced on June 27, 1983. The Terms of Reference required the Commission to explore the most efficient, effective, and equitable means of promoting equality in employment for four groups: women, native people, disabled persons, and visible minorities. .At the same time, it was to inquire specifically into the employment practices of 11 designated crown and government-owned corporations. It was clear at the outset that only a broad approach would serve, and the Commission therefore treated the 11 designated corporations as illustrative models of the issues under study. No corporation's employment practices can be assessed fairly in a cultural vacuum. It would be difficult at best to make judgements about the adequacy of the practices of crown and government-owned corporations without placing these practices in the context of what other Canadians do, believe, or expect. --From "The Process" [introduction]

Examines the effect of sex on employment on the public service of Canada.

The Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada was created in 1967 and given the mandate to "inquire into and report upon the status of women in Canada, and to recommend what steps might be taken by the federal government to ensure equal opportunities for women in all aspects of the Canadian society". The creation of this commission might not have happened without the collective efforts of feminist activists nation-wide, who were fed up with their unequal status and who envisioned a more inclusive Canada in which women could grow, achieve and thrive without limits. ...The groundbreaking Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, tabled in Parliament on December 7, 1970, included 167 recommendations on updating the legislative system and addressing critical issues for women within 8 categories: women in the economy, education, women in the family, taxation and childcare allowances, poverty, participation of women in public life, immigration and citizenship, [and] criminal law and women offenders. All recommendations made, such as greater representation of women in politics, universal childcare, and eliminating the wage gap, were meant to increase women’s autonomy, bring women’s voices into positions of power and decision-making, and create a solid foundation upon which women could gain equal status to men in all aspects of Canadian society.

On September 10, 1935, the Honourable Mr. Justice H. H. Davis, of the Supreme Court of Canada was, in accordance with Section 65 of the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act, appointed a commissioner under the provisions of Part I of the Inquiries Act to inquire into an industrial dispute which had been in existence for several months on the Vancouver waterfront, involving the Shipping Federation of British Columbia, Limited, and the longshoremen at that port (Labour Gazette, September, 1935, page 803). Hon. Justice Davis proceeded immediately to the City of Vancouver and there held a public hearing, on notice to all parties concerned, from September 16 to October 9, 1935, inclusive. On October 9, 10 and 11, he conferred with three representatives of each party to the dispute. His report and findings were received in the Department of Labour on October 22. --Introduction

By the terms of our Commission we were required: first, to consider and make suggestions for securing a permanent improvement in the relations between employers and employees; second, to recommend means for insuring that industrial conditions affecting relations between employers and employees shall be reviewed from time to time by those concerned, with a view to improving conditions in the future. 2. For the above purpose the Commission was directed: (1) to make a survey and classification of existing Canadian industries; (2) to obtain information as to the (3) character and extent of organization already existing amongst bodies of employers and employees, respectively ; to investigate available data as to the progress made by Joint Industrial Councils in Canada, Great Britain and the United States. 3. We opened the inquiry at the City of Victoria, in the Province of British Columbia, on the 26th day of April last, and completed it at the City of Ottawa on the 13th day of June instant. Between those dates we held seventy sessions in twenty-eight industrial centres, extending from Victoria, B.C., to Sydney, N.S., in the course of which we examined 486 witnesses. --Introduction

The Meredith Report outlined a trade-off in which workers’ relinquish their right to sue in exchange for compensation benefits. Meredith advocated for no-fault insurance, collective liability, independent administration, and exclusive jurisdiction. The system exists at arms-length from the government and is shielded from political influence, allowing only limited powers to the Minister responsible. --Synopsis at https://awcbc.org/about-us/history

Commissioned in the aftermath of a strike by 400 female telephone operators in Toronto, the report examined the causes of the strike, including compensation, workload and health. Male unionists did not support the strike.

The Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into the Immigration of Italian Labourers to Montreal and the Alleged Fraudulent Practices of Employment Agencies was called in 1904 to investigate the recent influx of Italian labourers to Montreal and their exploitation by immigration agents. There were at least 6,000 Italians in Montreal in May of 1904, many of them unemployed despite being promised immediate employment upon their arrival in Canada. Large numbers of unskilled Italian labourers came to Canada at the beginning of the twentieth century, predominantly from the economically depressed regions of southern Italy. Although the government preferred agricultural immigrants, unskilled labourers were required to meet industrial demands. Italian migrants primarily went to Montreal and Toronto, finding work on the railway and in the mines. These labourers did not intend to stay in Canada but rather work for a season and make enough money to improve their economic situation in Italy. This system of sojourning labour was facilitated by padroni, Italian labour brokers that recruited Italian workers for Canadian employers and oversaw their transport and employment upon arriving in Canada. The system was rife with corruption as many padroni used deceptive tactics in the recruitment process and inflated fees for brokerage, transportation and food supply. The commission, led by Judge John Winchester, conducted an in depth examination of the padrone system, focusing its investigation on prominent Montreal padrone Antonio Cordasco. Since 1901, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) had engaged Italian labourers almost exclusively through Cordasco. Witnesses alleged that Italian labourers could not obtain work with the CPR until they paid Cordasco a fee for arranging their employment. Once the labourers were hired, additional charges for supplies and food were deducted from their wages and paid directly to Cordasco. The rates Cordasco charged were 60 to 150 percent above cost. Cordasco induced Italian labourers to come to Canada by taking out advertisements in Italian-Canadian newspapers circulated in Italy, promising immediate employment upon arriving in Canada. In 1904, Cordasco recruited more men than the CPR required, creating an influx of unemployed Italian labourers in Montreal. Although Cordasco was aware of the labour surplus, he continued to demand fees from newly arrived Italian migrants under the false pretense of finding them employment. In his final report, Judge Winchester recommended that the city of Montreal pass a by-law requiring immigration agents and offices to be licensed before being permitted to carry out their business. Following the conclusion of the commission, the CPR fired Cordasco as their Italian labour agent. Although the commission effectively ended Cordasco’s career as a padrone, the system as a whole remained intact. The major companies employing Italian sojourners continued to use padroni to obtain cheap Italian labour. --Summary from Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 website (citations omitted)

Annuals reports, 1901-1983

In 1896, the Trades and Labour Congress petitioned the federal government to investigate the sweatshop system in Canada. Commissioner Alexander Whyte Wright inspected factories, workshops, and private homes in Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton. He reported that, although working conditions and wages were generally appalling in factories and shops, workers in their homes toiled even longer and earned less.

Focus on child labour. Includes analytical index arranged by names of witnesses, and topical index arranged by subject.