We have four pictures of youth, arranged horizontally. First is a Caucasian girl in front of a map. Next, we have a young Asian man doing some construction work inside a house. Third, a Caucasian man with Down's syndrome works in an office. Finally, a young African-American woman smiling.
Youth Ability in Skilled Trades
Top Left: Woman in Construction. Top Right: Man Cooking with a Blender. Bottom Right: Man working on a motorcycle. Bottom Right: Woman with Scissors.

Trades and Trends

Skilled Trade Unions

Please refer to your local site below for more information.

Alberta
Manitoba
Ontario
Saskatchewan
Newfoundland
PEI and New Brunswick

On May 15, 1872, a Nine-Hour Movement started in Hamilton to regulate working hours and stop child and convict labour. On June 14, 1872, the Trades Union Act passed under the leadership of Prime Minister John A. McDonald. In 1873, the Canadian Labour Union (CLU) was formed. In 1878, the CLU dissolved due to economic conditions. By the 1880s and 1890s, the economy and union membership were expanding again. In 1883, the Labour congress of Canada (which later became the trade and labour congress of Canada [TLC]) was formed. In 1992, the trade union and labour relations consolidation act passed as law.

According to the trade union and labour relations consolidation act, a trade union:

  • Consists of workers of a given description
  • Specializes in relations between workers and employers
  • Consists of constituent or affiliated organizations and/or their representatives

Employees can strike if their conditions are not being met by their employers. Independent trade unions are not:

  • Under control of employers or groups of employers
  • Liable to be under such control

Workers performing a specific trade are in a craft union. Industrial union workers all work in a specific industry.