9 June 2010

Rally Sunday Marks the Famed
"On to Ottawa Trek"

The 1935 "On to Ottawa Trek".

Vancouver British Columbia - Workers will mark one of the most important anniversaries in Canadian labour this Sunday in Vancouver, the 75th anniversary of the "On to Ottawa Trek". The British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) is encouraging members to join in the celebration and commemoration.
 
A rally will be held at 1 p.m. in the city's Crab Park to raise awareness about modern-day poverty and to remember what happened to poor young workers 75 years ago. Crab Park is located at the north foot of Main Street where the trek began in 1935. The rally will feature speakers and the dedication of a plaque to mark the historic site.
 
Following the ceremony, a delegation will make a modern journey "On to Ottawa" to talk to the government about homelessness issues and the need for a national housing program.
 
The original trek began on 3 Jun 1935, when legions of young men, rebelling against poor working conditions and low wages in Depression era relief camps, boarded boxcars in Vancouver and headed for Ottawa to deliver an historic protest message to the federal government.
 
Hundreds of "Trekkers" boarded Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) boxcars near the foot of Main Street and left the city. By the time they reached Regina, their numbers had swelled to more than 3,000.
 
Sadly, they were met in Regina by a wall of RCMP officers dispatched by R.B. Bennett, the unsympathetic Conservative prime minister of the day. The intervention prevented the Trekkers from continuing onto Ottawa. Only one of their leaders was permitted to travel on and meet with Bennett.
 
When the meeting proved fruitless, the remaining Trekkers in Regina rebelled on 1 Jul 1935 (then known as Dominion Day) in an uprising that was put down by arguably the most infamous and oppressive police riot in Canadian history.
 
But there was a price to pay for Bennett in his coldness and indifference to the plight of the working people. His Tory government was crushed in the next election, reduced from its 134-seat majority to a paltry 39 seats in the House of Commons,
 
The Liberal government that replaced the Conservatives then set about addressing many of the concerns raised by the Trekkers. Relief camps were abolished and the first steps were taken to set up what eventually became a national unemployment insurance system.