Hak - The Left in British Columbia A History of Struggle

OTHER BOOKS BY GORDON HAK

Capital and Labour in the British
Columbia Forest Industry, 19341974
(UBC Press, 2007)

Turning Trees into Dollars: The British Columbia
Coastal Lumber Industry, 18581913
(University of Toronto Press, 2000)

Gordon Hak

RONSDALE PRESS

THE LEFT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: A HISTORY OF STRUGGLE
Copyright 2013 Gordon Hak

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher, or, in Canada, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright (the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency).

RONSDALE PRESS
3350 West 21st Avenue
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6S 1G7
www.ronsdalepress.com

Typesetting: Julie Cochrane, in Granjon 11.5 pt on 15

Cover Design: Julie Cochrane

Cover Photo: Art Kube, BC Federation of Labour president, surrounded by reporters, addressing Solidarity crowd at BC Legislature, Victoria, 1983. Photograph by Sean Griffin, Pacific Tribune Archive.

Paper: Ancient Forest Friendly Rolland Enviro Satin, FSC Recycled, 100% post-consumer waste, totally chlorine-free and acid-free.

Ronsdale Press wishes to thank the following for their support of its publishing program: the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, the British Columbia Arts Council, and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Book Publishing Tax Credit program.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Hak, Gordon H. (Gordon Hugh), author

The left in British Columbia: a history of struggle / Gordon Hak.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-1-55380-256-3 (print)

ISBN 978-1-55380-257-0 (ebook) / ISBN 978-1-55380-258-7 (pdf)

1. Right and left (Political science) British Columbia History.

2. Political parties British Columbia History. 3. British Columbia

Politics and government. I. Title.

JL439.A45H35 2013 324.2711'009 C2013-903231-2 C2013-903232-0

At Ronsdale Press we are committed to protecting the environment. To this end we are working with Canopy (formerly Markets Initiative) and printers to phase out our use of paper produced from ancient forests. This book is one step towards that goal.

Printed in Canada by Marquis Book Printing, Quebec

Victoria workers at John Kurtzs Cigar Manufactory, 1885,

Clerks at R.V. Winch Grocery Store, 1890,

Coal miners at Wellington, 1890,

Lardeau Local 119 of the Western Federation of Miners, 1901,

Laying sidewalks on Georgia Street, 1910,

Ginger Goodwin, 1916,

Ginger Goodwin funeral procession, 1918,

National Biscuit and Confection Company, 1926,

Communist Party march, Vancouver, 1930s,

Protest against police actions, 1938,

Mothers protest the Relief Camps, Malkin Bowl, 1935,

Helena Gutteridge, 1938,

IWA Ladies Auxiliary march, 1946,

Arrests at Industrial Workers of the World free speech demonstration, 1912,

Meeting of BC Federation of Labour, 1956,

Workers at a Penticton peach cannery, 1950s,

All-Canadian Congress of Labour on parade, 1936,

Dave Barrett, 1972,

Art Kube, BC Federation of Labour president, 1983,

Solidarity rally at Empire Stadium, 1983,

Peace march, 1980,

Supporters of the teachers strike, 2005,

HandyDart strikers, 2009,

Environmental rally against Northern Gateway Pipeline, 2012,

A new generation at Occupy Nanaimo, 2011,

Many people contributed directly and indirectly to the writing of this book. Michael Atkinson, Patrick Dunae, Larry Hannant, Elizabeth Lamb, Frank Leonard, Keith Smith, and Anne Young helped shape my sense of the left. Timely aid, advice, and information came from Jean Barman, Tzeporah Berman, Clarence Bolt, Elaine Brire, Ros Davies, Meagan Dyer, Robin Folvik, Sean Griffin, Norman Hak, Joey Hartman, Dan Hawthorne, Christopher Hatch, the Labour Heritage Centre, Noah Moscovitz, the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, Ross K. Rieder, and Deirdre Salisbury. Sam Young shared his knowledge of the left and the environmental movement of the past three decades, clarifying my perspective on many points. As editor and publisher, Ron Hatch demanded precision and focus, advice I heeded as best I could. Finally, Joanne Finnegan endured the ups and downs of the project, and, as always, her contribution was immense. Though they have been named, the above do not necessarily share the views found herein. Errors of fact and interpretation, of course, are my responsibility alone.