What were the working conditions in the salmon canning industry? How were the working conditions related to labour organizing? What was the history of labour organizing in the salmon canning industry? How did ‘race’ and racism factor in to labour organizing?
Watch this vignette accompanied by Linda Chobotuck’s 1985 song, Canning Salmon, performed by the Vancouver folk group, Fraser Union. Fraser Union sing a modified version of the song and only sing the third verse.
Canning Salmon by Linda Chobotuck – Linda Chobotuck’s lyrics provide an insightful and critical perspective of her experiences as a cannery worker. Here are the complete lyrics for the song for you to review after listening to Fraser Union’s version.
Check out these documents from the Labour History Project about the fisheries strikes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A series of strikes rocked the fishing industry in Steveston, BC in the early 1900s. This story examines the efforts made to unite fishers across racial lines.
Skim this chapter of to learn about the rise of a working class in Canadian post-confederation history. Search for the word ‘canneries’ to find the specific passages that relate to the salmon canning industry.
Read this document by the Labour History Project about the history of child labour in British Columbia.
This 25-minute film produced by the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society explores Canada’s West Coast canning industry and how turning points in immigration, global conflicts, economic change, social movements, and technological progress have all affected the fishery’s evolution.
The Labour History Project pays particular attention to gender in this overview of working conditions in British Columbia’s canneries throughout history.
This document from the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site contains four stories from the perspectives of different cannery workers.
This resource from the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society contains a history of the canneries with particular attention paid to the roles of different ethnic groups in the canning industry.