Revisiting an overlooked chapter in BC history
Posted April 22, 2018 10:02 am.
Last Updated October 18, 2021 12:08 pm.
VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – It is an often overlooked chapter in BC history, but it ended being a watershed moment in labour relations in this province. A new book takes a closer look at the Fraser River salmon strikes of the early 1900s.
“Well, it’s known in academic circles, but it was a long time ago,” says Geoff Meggs, author of Strange New Country.
The former Vancouver City Councillor and current chief of staff to Premier John Horgan details the salmon strikes by fishermen on the Fraser River that happened back in 1900 and 1901, which were remarkable on a number of fronts.
“I was always struck by the image of people what was supposedly impossible [in] those days. There were getting money from the wealthy who were controlling resources, they were working across racial lines, First Nations people, Japanese-Canadians, the whites, they were using secret ballot decision making.”
While other strikes may have lasted longer or were more violent, Meggs argues this episode really marked the birth of modern British Columbia.
“It was treated, basically, I think, for a long time, for obvious reasons, as a labour dispute. You know there was bargaining and that was it. But it was the underlying things that were going on at the time in BC that I found really interesting, the fact that there was really nobody in charge.”
The book is now available.
