Canada History Week 2019

WOMEN IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT Helen Armstrong was a labour activist who fought for the rights of working class women. She led and organized women workers in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike and was one of only two women among some 50 men on the strike committee. LOOKING FOR MRS. ARMSTRONG Who was that impassioned woman at the heart of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike? And why did her memory become lost to time? Filmmaker Paula Kelly set out to bring Helen Armstrong back from the margins of history. THE WINNIPEG GENERAL STRIKE On May 15, 1919, the city of Winnipeg ground to a halt when approximately 25,000 to 35,000 workers went on strike. On June 17, several of the strike leaders were arrested. Four days later, police clashed with participants of a silent march, organized by returning veterans, as they reached City Hall. Chaos ensued. Two people died, 30 were injured, and 94 arrested on what has come to be known as “Bloody Saturday.” Fearing more violence, union leaders ended the strike on June 25, without having achieved any improvements to working conditions. Courtesy of Dorothy Dyer