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Unemployed workers sleeping in the bandstand at Queen's Park, Toronto, 1938
Mitchell F. Hepburn photographs and cartoons
F 10-2-3-17
Archives of Ontario, I0005419

Participation in World War II required Canada to convert its economy to a war footing. Emerging from the Great Depression’s mass unemployment in the 1930s, the economy rapidly reached full employment. Businesses sought to maintain production levels, keep costs low, and enforce grueling schedules to support war production, frequently refusing to negotiate with unions, resulting in strikes over union recognition.

Ontario in 1943 was the earliest Canadian province to introduce labour relations legislation that protected workers’ freedom of association and recognized unions with formal certification. For the first time, the law compelled employers to recognize and bargain with unions.

World War II brought an influx of workers – including women – into factories and workplaces. As the workforce increased, so did workers’ interest in collective negotiation for better working conditions. Employers viewed strikes as a threat to production, while employees saw them as a vital demonstration of their rights and organizing power. To help support the rights of workers in Ontario and to bring predictability and stability to a growing economy, the provincial government established a permanent collective bargaining framework through the Labour Relations Act, 1950.

Today, the ministry focuses on settling workplace disputes, assisting in the drawing and settlement of collective agreements and gathering and producing information on collective bargaining trends in Ontario.