Memories of Mary Jordan


Forgotten female heroine of Winnipeg’s early labour movement Dorothy Dobbie


T


his past month has seen a commemoration of the events surrounding the disruption that accompa- nied the Winnipeg General Strike in 1919.


World War I had just ended and soldiers who had suf-


fered tremendously for their country came home to find an economy in tatters and the ideas and opinions of an- other age still prevalent in the minds of those responsible for governance. Meanwhile new ideas of were emerging. Bolshevism was sending intriguing visions of equality and opportu- nity to a population eager for change. There was bound to be a clash.


Out of this clash of ideas and longing for change


emerged the One Big Union. It was a group of trade unionists who were disillusioned with the management of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada and the influence of the American Federation of Labour. It was dominated by the Socialist Party of Canada. Although it was formed in Calgary, it had its expression of triumph in the Winnipeg General Strike and, while it lost momen- tum a few years later, it remained in operation until 1956, when the Canadian Labour Congress took its place. That organization, the CLC, was quite young and vi- brant in 1966, when a couple of feisty, young 21-year- olds entered the scene: Brent Naylor and I were brought together by my husband, Glenn, who was then assistant manager of the Construction Labourers Union, Local 101. Brent was then an itinerant salesman, working for an American by the name of Bob Anderson, himself a war veteran who made a living by selling advertising signage in labour halls and temples across America and later in Canada.


After a couple of years of coming to Winnipeg to sell


advertising sign space in the Wall Street Trades Hall, Glenn and Brent stuck up a friendship and convinced me to work part time for Brent, collecting ad copy and cheques. By the time were both 24, Brent had had enough of working for Anderson and determined to strike out on his own. With Glenn’s help, we convinced the Building Trades Council to allow us to produce a “Buyers’ Guide”, a booklet containing only ads, under their sponsorship. It was a mess, and the following year, I convinced Brent to let me write stories in the publication. This then gave us credentials to approach the Winnipeg Labour Council with a proposal to produce their Labour Annual. It was in this way that we came to know Mary Jordan. Mary was the secretary to the secretary or general man- ager of the Winnipeg Labour Council, part of the CLC, but she had also been the secretary to R. B. Russell, the main leader of the Winnipeg General Strike, who ulti- mately took on the responsibilities for the OBU. Mary was an American, born in St. Thomas, North Dakota in 1899, but growing up here when her family moved to Winnipeg in 1906.


A devout Catholic, Mary went to school at St. Mary’s


Academy, just a short walk across the bridge from the family home on Wolseley Avenue on the opposite bank of the Assiniboine. After a brief time working for Ea- ton’s, she joined the OBU and there she worked until she finally retired in 1972 at the age of 73. When I met her, she was elderly and conspicuous for


her halo of silver hair on top of which perched a “what- not”, a wispy bit of veil, usually in lavender or pale blue, and famous for her 1945 book, Now and Forever, which had been made into a Hollywood movie. She was de- voted to R. B. Russell and never married. We became quite good friends and she told me many


stories of the strike and what the mood was like back then. The causes were much more complex than depicted today.


Mary also told me that when she was researching Now


and Forever, published in 1945, she needed to know about the forbidden topic of birth control. She somehow managed to get a package of condoms, which she hid under her pillow when she went to work. Unfortunately, her mother chose that day to change the bed linen and Mary’s little treasure was found. It raised quite uproar in the strict Catholic family. She wrote several other books, including To Louis,


from your sister who loves you, Sara Riel, an historical novel based on letters between Sara, the first Grey Metis nun in Saskatchewan, and her dearly beloved and famous brother. Mary was writing this book when we met. It was published in 1974 and I believe I still have an auto- graphed copy somewhere in my library. Mary Jordan dedicated her life to the labour move- ment and to her religion, but she had a sense of fun and was a keen observer of human behaviour. She invited me to her home to celebrate her Bene Merenti Medal (Papal Honour), and here I met many forgotten luminaries of that past age. Mary Jordan died in 1983.


Will the next federal Government fix Unemployment Insurance? Fred Morris


The 1933 CCF Regina Manifesto


World War I Canadian urban work place. The population of urban centers had sur- passed the rural population. Federal politi- cians from across the political spectrum be- gan to advocate unemployment insurance. The 1919 Liberal Convention


T


“The Liberal Party at its August Con- vention adopted proposals largely written by Mackenzie King for unemployment and disability insurance.” (A time as there never was before, page 214, Alan Bowker).


he recent commemoration of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike il- lustrated the problems of the post-


“Through unemployment insurance, so- cial insurance to protect workers and their families against the hazards of sickness, death, industrial accident, and old age.” (Article 7, The Prophet in Politics, Ken- neth McNaught page 326.


The 1935 Bennett New Deal He (Bennett) stated that a national sys-


tematic program of unemployment insur- ance had to be created. He warned that the program would not reward laziness but rather offer a bridge to those who wanted to work but temporarily had not work to do.”


(Bennett, The Rebel who Challenged a Nation, John Boyko, page 372). Bennett had advocated Unemployment Insurance


during his entire career in Federal politics. However, the federal government was unable to implement an unemployment program. Unemployment insurance was a provincial responsibility. The problem was solved by the Rowell Sirois 1940 Report. The Royal Commission recommended that the federal government take over the control of unemployment insurance. Mackenzie King’s third government (he kept coming back) was able to get provin- cial consent for this jurisdictional change. In 1941, unemployment insurance be- came a reality. For the next 49 years, un- employment insurance was funded by workers, their employers and the federal government. Various changes were made to the program. In 1990, the federal gov-


ernment withdrew its funding. It seemed like a positive move. We now had a pro- gram financed by employees, and employ- ers for the benefit of the unemployed. However, the program has gone off the rails. It is not the program that King, Bennett, and Wordsworth envisioned. In Part 2, I will detail how most unemployed Canadians are not getting their bridge In- come. Will the next Federal government fix EI? I have invited candidates from all par- ties to an All Candidates Forum dealing exclusively with EI at the St. James Civic Centre on Thursday September 19 at 7 p.m. Fred Morris describes himself as a political activist and sometime political candidate.


Congressional District Directors visit Manitoba O


n July 23 and 24, a bi-partisan group of eight District Directors for eight sitting U.S. congress


men and women visited Manitoba. The visit was sponsored by the Association of Former Congressmen and was co-or- dinated by the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians. District Direc- tors are the important constituency liai- son officers for Congress reps, manag- ing local affairs for their representatives. Their tour included Ottawa, Winnipeg and Calgary.


This study tour focussed on cross bor- der trade, indigenous issues and energy. In Winnipeg, they visited Neeginan Cen- tre where they had a chance to hear from a number of community leaders, includ- ing Marileen Bartlett, Damon Johnson, Kevin Chief and Bill Shead among oth- ers. Entrepreneur and owner of Toma- hawk Potato Chips, Alfred Lee, amazed them with his enterprise which now has sales across the United States and into China.


In the afternoon, they were greeted


by Robert Falcon Oullette in a red tar- tan jacket and tie playing Yankee Doodle on his trumpet before the briefing and the tour of Maryland Street’s burned


6 whatsupwinnipeg.ca


out housing. The evening dinner, Don Leitch arranged an opportunity to learn about issues facing folks in the steel and aluminium manufacturing business as well as our oil patch. The following day took them to the International Peace Garden,


briefed


along the way by Simon Resch about his bid to open a Port Authority at Emerson. Boissevain Mayor Judy Swanson and MLA Doyle Piwniuk hosted them to cof- fee and cinnamon buns at the Sawmill, a unique restaurant work project for men- tally and physically challenged adults. Lunch at the Peace Garden included a briefing from Canada Border Service representatives as well as from the Gar- den, president Marshall McCullough and several of its Garden board members. A quick trip to Brandon to meet with MP Larry Maguire and Eric Bjornson from Tundra ended the journey. In recent years, Manitoba has often been overlooked when it comes to tours such as these. It was a pleasure to see how impressed the visitors were with our small part of the country. Dorothy Dobbie is the current president of


the Canadian Association of Former Parlia- mentarians.


Member of the delegation meet with MP Larry Maguire, Eric Bjornson and MLA Doyle Piwniuk, back row, last three on right.


Robert Aery, Office of Hon. Kevin Hern (Repub- lican, Oklahoma), Committee on Small Business, Committee on Natural Resources; Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, Indigenous People of the US Subcommittee. Susie Byrd, Office of Hon. Veronica Escobar (Democrat, Texas), Armed Services Committee, Judiciary Committee; Immigration and Citizen- ship Subcommittee; District is on the US-Mexico Border.


Debra Detmers Fansler, Office of Hon. John Shimkus (Republican, Illinois), Committee on En- ergy and Commerce. Chris Flores, Office of Hon. Dan Kildee (Demo- crat, Michigan), Committee on Ways & Means; Trade Subcommittee. Michele Gargiulo, Office of Hon. Steven Palazzo


(Republican, Missouri), Appropriations Commit- tee, Commerce Subcommittee. Jesse Garza, Office of Hon. Sean Duffy (Republi- can, Wisconsin), Financial Services. Peter Jenks, Office of Hon. Rob Bishop (Repub- lican, Utah, Committee on Natural Resources, In- digenous People of the US Subcommittee; Armed Services Committee. Jessica Mier, Office of Hon. Susan Davis (Demo- crat, Californian, Education and Workforce Com- mittee; Armed Services Committee; Administra- tion Committee; District close to US-Mexican Border. Co-ordinating the delegation were Sharon West Witiw Director of Community Outreach and Haley LaTourette, Program and Membership Officer for FMC.


August 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24