The Labour Day Movement In Canada

Response Paper: The Labour Day Movement in Canada Labour Day, a day of celebration and collection for workers, their families, and communities. This movement started as a response to demands from the skilled workforce for public recognition of organized labour and its crucial role in society. Labour Day started as an important day of celebration for the vast variety of skilled workers, but because of the economic changes in Canada and the negative effects of the second industrial revolution its importance has diminished over time. Labour Day was created on the basis that it would be a celebration, directly borrowing the standards set by other holidays and festivals, that drew communities together. Sports, parades, games, competitions and
In my opinion the two greatest reasons for the decay and decline of the Labour Day movement was the continuously diminishing returns on Labour Day for labour leaders. Most labour leaders would depend on the funds they would receive on this day for the activities and plans for the coming year (382). The second reason was the “crisis of the craftsmen”. The crisis of the craftsmen came about shortly after the second industrial revolution, which threatened the stability and livelihood of all skilled workers. This crisis saw the destruction and
At this point most workers did not feel proud of their work enough to go out and celebrate and labour leaders found it hard to scrounge up enough money to afford the parade every year (383). In my opinion Labour Day should be a day of rest and private pleasure. This is entirely up to the workers, but I believe that private pleasure would be the most beneficial for mental health and would allow for the contemplation of position within their life and workplace. To conclude, Labour Day is a day of celebration which was created to appease the demand of skilled workers for recognition and appreciation for their role in society. The parade was a very important part of Labour Day, as it was able to reach the largest amount of people with the movement's message. Many skilled workers from all lines of work would show their appreciation for others and their own contribution. Though it was a very important celebration of skilled work, Labour Day lost its importance and faded over time from the various Canadian communities. Along with Labour Day losing its importance, so did many skilled workers, as the approach of the second industrial revolution caused a diminishing or destruction of many skilled jobs. Finally I believe that Labour Day should be spent as a personal day of rest and