The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN; Confederation of National Trade Unions) is the second largest trade union federation in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

by membership.

History

It was founded in Hull in 1921 as the ''Confédération des travailleurs catholiques du Canada'' (Catholic Workers Confederation of Canada). By 1927, by some estimates, up to a third of all union members in Quebec were members of the ''Confédération des travailleurs catholiques du Canada''. It became the CSN only in 1960 when it became secular. The CSN developed a close relationship with the

Quebec Liberal Party The Quebec Liberal Party (QLP; , PLQ) is a provincial political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955. The QLP has traditionally supported a form of Quebec federalist ideology with nuance ...

and worked together to reform Québec's labor law in 1965 to extend collective bargaining to government employees. However, by the late 1960s the CSN had fallen out of favor with the provincial government as it became radicalized and threw its support behind social movements. In 1971, the three leading Quebec unions, the CSN, the CEQ teachers' union, and the Québec Federation of Labour ( FTQ) voted to form the Common Front, a syndicalist organization demanding a unified minimum wage for their 250,000 members. When negotiations failed between the Common Front and the Liberal government, the unions launched the largest general strike in Canadian history. When the strike's leaders were jailed for defying orders to return to work, the strike lost momentum and the Common Front broke apart. The CSN first formally supported Quebec sovereignty in May 1990. It had, however, been associated with the sovereignty movement long before. In both the 1973 and 1976 provincial elections, the CSN, without formally endorsing the

Parti québécois The Parti Québécois (PQ; , ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishi ...

, let it be known that it considered the PQ to be most closely aligned with workers' interests. During the

1980 Quebec referendum The 1980 Quebec independence referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois (PQ) government ...

, the CSN supported a yes vote on "sovereignty-association".

Structure

The CSN is characterized by decentralized administration: local unions are organized into federations by sector of activity and regional councils, and are very independent from the central organization. It is also the most politically active trade union in Quebec. The Confederation currently has about 300,000 members, distributed evenly between men and women, and between the private and public sectors. Marc Laviolette was replaced as president in 2002 by Claudette Carbonneau.

Louis Roy Louis Roy (20 July 1959 – disappeared 23 June 2000), better known as "Mélou", was a Canadian outlaw biker and gangster, said to have been the richest Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Hells Angel in Quebec. Biography Roy was born and grew up in ...

, Roger Valois, and

Denise Boucher Denise Boucher (December 12, 1935 – March 18, 2025) was a Canadian writer from Quebec. Life and career The daughter of Alexandre Boucher, police chief, and Justine Bélair, she was born in Victoriaville, Quebec. She received a teaching certifi ...

are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd vice-presidents, respectively. Lise Poulin is the secretary and Pierre Patry is the treasurer. The Montreal Central Council of the CSN endorsed

Québec solidaire Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

for the 2007 Quebec election.

Presidents

*Pierre Beaulé (1921–1933) *Osias Filion (1933) *René Bénard (1934) *Alfred Charpentier (1935–1946) *Gérard Picard (1946–1958) *Roger Mathieu (1958–1960) *

Jean Marchand Jean Marchand (December 20, 1918 – August 28, 1988) was a French Canadian public figure, trade unionist and politician in Quebec, Canada. Life and career During the 1949 Asbestos Strike in Quebec, Marchand led the striking workers as s ...

(1961–1964) * Marcel Pepin (1965–1976) *Norbert Rodrigue (1976–1982) *Donatien Corriveau (1982–83) *

Gérald Larose Gérald Larose (born October 24, 1945) is a Canadian activist, professor, and former President of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux labour union. Between 2003 and 2013, he was president of the Organisations unies pour l'indépendance, ...

(1983–1999) * Marc Laviolette (1999–2002) * Claudette Carbonneau (2002–2011) *Louis Roy (2011–2012) *

Jacques Létourneau Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

(2012–2021) *Caroline Senneville (2021–present)

References

Sources

* *

External links

Official website of the CSN
(mostly in French)
Confédération des syndicats nationaux
– Web Archive created by the University of Toronto Libraries {{Authority control 1921 establishments in Quebec Trade unions established in 1921 Catholic trade unions National trade union centres of Canada Trade unions in Quebec Organizations based in Montreal Provincial federations of labour (Canada)