L’évolution de l’action politique de la CSN The Political Action of the CNTU : Its Evolution

Résumé

Les syndicats ouvriers ne peuvent pas rester étrangers à l'action politique. Celle-ci peut cependant prendre plusieurs formes. Dans cette étude l'auteur montre l'évolution de la CSN (autrefois CTCC) face à l'action politique.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The political action of organized labor could be defined as the presence of unions in politics. But even if this presence may take different forms, one may say that it could be divided in two main categories : the partisan and the non-partisan political action. In addition to this, the non-partisan political action has two sub-groups which are the direct and the indirect non-partisan political action.

The object of this paper is to show how the CNTU since its birth has practiced a non-partisan political action direct or indirect following the circumstances or the periods.

THE CCCL AND THE POLITICAL ACTION

The CCCL ¹ does not want to accept any form of political partisanery in its organization and even forbids its President or Secretary General to have public commitments on politics.

To prove this point allow me to quote two articles from « The Constitution and By-Laws of the CCCL, 1st edition, 1921 » :

— art. III « The CCCL should never be affiliated to any political party ».

— art. XXIX « Discussions of political partisanery will not be admitted in the confederal conventions ».

But those decisions were misinterpreted by the other members and by the public. The choices made by the individuals were considered as those of the movement : the action of the individuals was identified to their union's. All of this led, in 1923, to a modification of the Constitution and article XXIX was replaced by article XXX which clearly separated the rights and duties of the movement itself from the individuals belonging to the movement.

The CCCL did not modify its Constitution regarding political action until 1952.

The attitude of the CCCL regarding political action could be summarized in 3 main points :

a) In the first place, the CCCL does not see the ground of supporting a certain political party rather than another one.

b) Regarding its members, the CCCL has always respected their own freedom.

c) Being a representative movement, the CCCL wishes to have a role of watch-dog toward the government.

In 1943, in Montreal, the CCL adopted an important resolution regarding political action. It decided to adopt the CCF as the political weapon of the workers. On the other hand, the TLC, in 1943 in Quebec City, decided to organize political action committees in order to allow local unions to play a more direct role in politics. Those two choices did not change the policies of the CCCL toward political action.

We can therefore say that since its foundation, the CCCL has chosen to be entirely free from any political party. However the CCCL wishes to influence the government by a non-partisan political action in order to reach the main goal of unionism i.e. to defend and protect workers.

THE POLITICAL ACTION OF THE CCCL (1949-1958)

New Attitude

In 1946, a new team was elected at the head of the CCCL and was immediately led to rethink the position of the Confederation toward political action for different reasons :

1.—The decisions of the CCL and TLC toward their political action.

2.—The anti-union attitude of the Government of Quebec.

In fact the efficiency of the traditional position of the CCCL toward political action was called in question. So in 1949, it was decided that a committee of civic action should be created.

This same committee became a year later the committee of political orientation. It was in the provincial election of July 1952 that this committee began a more direct action in politics by publishing a legislative program in 32 points. The committee went quite far in its action : for example were openly declared as enemies to unionism five candidates at the election.

The CCCL was then accused of supporting a political party to the prejudice of the other. This accusation was discussed at the following convention in Shawinigan. In 1953, the committee publishes another paper entitled « Why the CCCL Interferes in Federal Politics ». The authors insisted on the great influence of the Federal Government on Canadian workers.

It is to be noted it was the time of Duplessis regime, whose goals were quite different from those of the labor movement.

The political action of the CCCL remains a non-partisan action but will work on two different levels. On the one hand, the committee will have the responsibility of giving the members a political education and on the other hand, it will have a direct action toward the government by supporting for election candidates who are thoughtful of the common good and responsive to the request of the labor movement.

During the electoral campaign of 1956, the CCCL intensifies its political action. But the results of the campaign brought the old regime back and furthermore stronger than before.

Transformations

In 1956, one of the main events in the history of union organization in Canada happened : the merger of the TLC and of the CCL to create the Canadian Labour Congress. In 1959, in Winnipeg, a meeting was held to discuss the creation of a labor political party. Representatives of the CCCL were invited.

This project of creation of a labor political party forced the CCCL to rethink its political action. Having always been opposed to this form of political action,the CCCL was not ready to reject the principle respected since its foundation. But a study of the problem was necessary and a readjustment possible.

At the CCCL convention of 1959 in Quebec, major modifications were voted. It is still forbidden to the CCCL to be affiliated to a political party, but it can submit briefs to the governments, can study the effïciency of a political party, etc.

This formula seems to give full freedom in the field of political action except for a partisan action. The most important step was to allow the President, and the Secretary general in the absence of the former, to have public commitments on politics on behalf of the CCCL.

THE 1962 CONFRONTATION : CNTU - SOCIAL CREDIT

In 1962, the CNTU decided to fight against the Social Credit Party because its philosophy was dangerous for the workers. Jean Marchand, then President of the CNTU, made many statements against this party and even confronted its leader on T.V. Those intervention of the President of the CNTU against the Social Credit during the electoral campaign brought up serious accusations from some members. He has been accused of violating the constitution of the CNTU by having done a partisan political action.

Some other important changes were brought to the CNTU political action philosophy : the Confederal Bureau has been given the power of manifestating its preference, of denonciating or of declaring its neutrality toward a political party.

After more than 40 years of existence, the CNTU had finally found a formula which gave all the possible lattitude for a non-partisan political action.

CONCLUSION

Always respecting the principle saying that union political action must not be partisan, the CNTU has found a formula by which its members, leaders, officers, its affiliated organizations and its Confederal Bureau remain entirely free regarding their political choice. The only restriction remaining is that these choice must never be against the general interests of the labor movement.

( 1 ) Trade and Labour Congress of Canada : T.L.C. ; Canadian Congress of Labour : C.C.L. ; Canadian Labour Congress : C.L.C. ; Canadian and Catholic Confederation of Labour : C.C.C.L., which became Confederation of National Trade-Unions : C.N.T.U.