The Operation Solidarity (also known as the Solidarity Crisis) refers to a large-scale protest movement in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1983 that emerged in response to the

Social Credit Social credit is a distributive philosophy of political economy developed in the 1920s and 1930s by C. H. Douglas. Douglas attributed economic downturns to discrepancies between the cost of goods and the compensation of the workers who made t ...

(Socred) government's economic policy of austerity and anti-union legislation. The movement arose during a period when Canada’s economic conditions had sharply declined since 1980, characterized by high unemployment and inflation. In this context, governments across the country were under pressure to cut public expenditures. In February 1982, Premier Bill Bennett implemented a wage control program, and his 1983 re-election platform was built around the theme of “restraint.” Following the re-election of the Socred government, a sweeping series of bills was introduced on July 7, 1983. These bills aimed to drastically reduce spending on social programs, and included the closure of the province’s Human Rights Tribunal, along with the elimination of rent controls, tenant rights, and various employment standards. In response, labour organizations across the province united in an unprecedented show of solidarity. The Solidarity Coalition, composed of community organizations, activists, and trade unions, was formed to challenge these legislative changes. Many believed this mass coalition would eventually escalate into a full

general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

. The scale and intensity of the opposition forced the government to back down on its attack on labour rights, and it was a formative time for the labour unions involved. Provinces across Canada learned from the event about the erosion of democratic protections and worker rights that can arise from an imbalance in power and a lack of

participatory democracy Participatory democracy, participant democracy, participative democracy, or semi-direct democracy is a form of government in which Citizenship, citizens participate individually and directly in political decisions and policies that affect their ...

References

''Defying conventional wisdom: political movements and popular contention against North American free trade'', Jeffrey McKelvey Ayres

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calendar. Its first s ...

, 1998, pp. 50–53
''The West beyond the West: a history of British Columbia'', Jean Barman

, 1991 (rev. ed. 1998), pp. 327–328, *''The Solidarity Coalition'', in ''The New Reality'' (Vancouver: New Star Books), eds. Warren Magnusson, William K. Carroll, Charles Doyle, Monika Langer, and R.B.J. Walker, eds., pp 94–114. * 1983 in British Columbia 1983 labor disputes and strikes 1983 protests Labour disputes in British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-poli-stub

See also

References