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Prior to May 2015, the oil-rich jurisdiction of Alberta had, for over four decades, been a one-party state. During that time, the rule of the Progressive Conservatives essentially went unchallenged, with critiques of government policy falling on deaf ears and Alberta ranking behind other provinces in voter turnout. Given the province’s economic reliance on oil revenues, a symbiotic relationship also developed between government and the oil industry. Cross-national studies have detected a correlation between oil-dependent economies and authoritarian rule, a pattern particularly evident in Africa and the Middle East. Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada sets out to test the “oil inhibits democracy” hypothesis in the context of an industrialized nation in the Global North. In probing the impact of Alberta’s powerful oil lobby on the health of democracy in the province, contributors to the volume engage with an ongoing discussion of the erosion of political liberalism in the West. In addition to examining energy policy and issues of government accountability in Alberta, they explore the ramifications of oil dependence in areas such as Aboriginal rights, environmental policy, labour law, women’s equity, urban social policy, and the arts. If, as they argue, reliance on oil has weakened democratic structures in Alberta, then what of Canada as whole, where the short-term priorities of the oil industry continue to shape federal policy? In Alberta, the New Democratic Party is in a position to reverse the democratic deficit that is presently fuelling political and economic inequality. The findings in this book suggest that, to revitalize democracy, provincial and federal leaders alike must find the courage to curb the influence of the oil industry on governance.--Publisher's description.

In this case study, we examine why the use of Temporary Foreign Workers increased in Alberta, how the former Conservatives government of Alberta encouraged and justified the use of migrant workers, and how a petroleum-based economy affects labour markets and the democratic health of a region. This study also explores how Alberta’s use of migrant workers is consistent with labour-market dynamics in an oil-exporting economy. --Authors' introduction

Given the difficulty generalizing across countries about industrial relations and human resource management practices, the discussion in this chapter is restricted to the United States and Canada. The chapter focuses on the continuity and change in North American auto industry labour relations. It traces the evolution of the post-war labour relations system in the North American automotive industry prior to 2000. It discusses the development of the archetypal Fordist system in the 1930s and 1940s, which produced a highly uniform pattern of labour relations across the auto industry in the United States and Canada. In the 1980s, Japanese automakers and their key suppliers introduced key elements of Japanese production methods (JPS) to North America. By 2012, not only had differences in bargaining outcomes narrowed between the United States and Canada but there was a new reality in which ‘union and non-union work in the auto industry have been rendered indistinguishable’.

Trafficking, forced labour and related phenomena have been documented time and again in recent years by advocacy groups, the media and government agencies. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that there are 20.9 million people in some form of forced labour worldwide. The estimate is broken down regionally and sectorally: 11.7 million of these are thought to be in the Asia and Pacific region; and 18.7 million are believed to be in the private economy, among whom 14.2 million are involved in economic activities not related to sexual exploitation. Debt bondage appears to be the most common mechanism of forced labour (cf. ILO 2005; 2012; Andrees and Belser 2009). The prevalence of labour relations characterized by various forms of unfreedom raises critical questions about how the phenomenon fits into the contemporary economy, and therefore about how to address the issue(s) in ways that advance the interests of all exploited workers. --Chapter abstract at Durham Research Online

The argument of this paper is that a contractual framework obscures more than the inequality of bargaining power between the parties – it also obscures the proprietary basis of the exchange. The employment contract is a legal mechanism designed to transfer wages and rights of control over workers’ capacity to labour. Conceived of in this way, the employment relationship is fundamentally a contest for control over property (labour power) waged through contract. For this reason, analysing the property parameters of the employment relationship opens up another window for examining the strengths and weaknesses of regulating employment through contract. -- From author's introduction

"In the mid-1980s, the Abella Commission on Equality in Employment and the federal Employment Equity Act made Canada a policy leader in addressing systemic discrimination in the workplace. More than twenty-five years later, Employment Equity in Canada assembles a distinguished group of experts to examine the state of employment equity in Canada today

[Examines] the three main doctrinal approaches adopted by Canadian courts to determine the scope of freedom of association, suggesting that under each approach, there is strong support for the conclusion that the right to strike is constitutionally protected. --Introduction

...Dans le présent texte, nous nous intéressons aux Irlandais de la « troisième génération » (des années de 1880 à 1890), c'est-à-dire à ces travailleurs forcés de trouver une nouvelle voie pour affronter les problèmes du temps. En 1879, la hausse dramatique des trarifs douaniers relance en effet l'industrialisation et sa cohorte de défis : les entreprises se multiplient, leur taille s'accroît aussi, augmentant la puissance du capitale. Le système de relations industrielles, dans lequel les organisations patronales commencent à proliférer, s'affiche plus hostile que jamais aux syndicats. L'implantation de l'Ordre des Chevaliers du travail dans la province constitue alors la réponse la plus percutante des ouvriers. --Introduction

"Depicts...[the] labour environment at Louisiana State University and a stark difference in resolve between US and Canadian academic librarians with respect to unionization.." -- Editors' introduction.

"[D]iscusses the issues of gender and status at Carleton University in the broader context of the pursuit of equity in Ontario during the 1960s and 1970s." -- Editors' introduction.

[Explores] the ongoing push and pull over the meaning of the Charter's freedom of assocation guarantee for the labour movement. --Introduction

Presents a historical overview of unions' lead role in advancing human rights in Canada, not only in the workplace through bargaining and litigation, but also by using their organizational strength to promote legal reform through education, lobbying, and social action to secure protections for all Canadians. --Introduction

Discusses occupation, work and employment in the context of mental health disability.

"[E]xamines the strike by academic librarians and archivists at the Universtiy of Western Ontario, a pivotal event in academic librarian labour history...[including] issues of salary, academic status, and autonomy that led to the strike in 2011." -- Editors' introduction.

"[E]xamines the lack of advocacy on the part of professional associations and the proactive role of the Canadian Association of University Teachers in advancing the working conditions of Canadian academic librarians." -- Editors' introduction.

[Provides] an overview of how unions have contributed to the intellectual framework of modern democracies in developing concepts of solidarity and group rights. In particular, [the author] writes about how collective bargaining and the right to strike - the key elements of freedom of association - support modern democratic ideals. --Introduction

Examines the potential for labour and progressive social movement to use the values expressed in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms to mobilize direct political action and to advocate for reform against the backdrop of austerity. [The authors] focus on historical examples of radical organizing that have leveraged constitutional values, as well as recent Canadian social movements. --Introduction

"[P]rovides a comparison and analysis of collective agreements, illustrating their importance in controlling the trajectory of librarians' work." -- Editors' introduction.

[Provides] an international perspective on the role of liberalism. [The author argues that] a series of international labour law instruments remain in place to protect basic rights to strike and to collective bargaining, all of which can be employed to protect against the tide of neoliberalism. --Introduction

Explores the disconnect between the right to equality being praised as reflecting the dreams, hopes, and aspirations of Canadian society, and its elusiveness in practice. [The author] also reflects on how labour and progressive movements can measure success in advancing equality in law. --Introduction