Canadian History Commons^™

The Poverty Of Bureaucracy: New Left Theory And Practice In The Canadian Labour Movement During The 1960s And 1970s, Sean P. Antaya

The Great Lakes Journal of Undergraduate History

This essay examines the New Left’s impact on the Canadian labour movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Specifically, it argues that in large industrial unions such as the UAW, New Left ideas that were popular amongst the rank and file were stifled by the more conservative labour bureaucrats. However, in public sector unions and unions unaffiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress, New Left ideas were often able to flourish, and these more radical unions were sometimes able to obtain substantial gains for their members throughout the 1970s while also fostering a broader sense of class consciousness in Canadian society -- …