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Carolyn Askew was a lawyer and the first Legislative Counsel for the BC Federation of Labour, beginning in 1972. She explains she was one of only a few women law school graduates and women had difficulty getting articles with firms. In the late 1960s she established the Community Legal Assistance Society with Mike Harcourt and Ian Waddell. She taught at the People's Law School. At the BC Fed, Askew was involved in establishing the first Women's Committee. She offers recollections of behind…

Bill Zander was born at home in the small town of Myrtle, Saskatchewan in 1934, but spent his childhood in Vancouver, B.C. He started working in a lumber mill after returning from the Royal Canadian Airforce, and became a plant representative with the IWA. He eventually became President of the Provincial Council of Carpenters.

This is a secondary, follow-up interview with Ray Haynes. Ray provided the BCLHC with a number of materials (photos, newspaper articles, etc.) to digitize and archive, which much of this interview is based upon. In this interview, Ray reflects on his time at the BC Federation of Labour and tells stories about various characters, as well as detailing his activism in retirement.

Jackie Ainsworth was born in Ontario, attending a year at the University of Carlton before joining the Anti-War Movement and moving out west to Vancouver. She is a founding member of the Association of University and College Employees [AUCE] as well as United Bank Workers [UBW] Local 2 of the Service, Office and Retail Workers' Union of Canada [SORWUC].

Ray Haynes was born in Point Grey, Vancouver, BC in 1928. He was introduced to the labour movement through work at a sawmill

Pamphlet on the use of injunctions in labour disputes.

Peter Burton was born in Pembroke, Ontario, and worked for the Georgia Straight in Vancouver before going into the resource industry in northern BC. Peter was President of CASAW in 1976, when the Wildcat strike by Alcan smelter workers in Kitimat occurred in response to wage control legislation introduced by the federal government under Pierre Trudeau.

George Hewison grew up in Campbell River where he learned his unionism and politics at "the kitchen table" during the Cold War years. He was an organizer and executive member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU) for many decades. He traces his involvement in many disputes and policy issues including the 1967 Prince Rupert strike, jailings of union leaders, injunctions, organizing on the East Coast, fishery policy and Combines investigations. Hewison was introduced to…

Colin Gabelmann came to Canada as a child in 1947 from London, England. He was influenced by his family's ties to social democratic parties in Europe which continued in Canada where they were strong supporters of the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth Federation) and the NDP (New Democratic Party). Gablemann became politically active at a young age, living in the Okanagan and moving to Vancouver to attend UBC. His involvement in the UBC NDP Club introduced him to the BC labour movement. After…

This interview covers the intense period in 1983 when Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition brought the province to the brink of a general strike. As President of the BC Federation of Labour, Art Kube was central to the formation of Operation Solidarity, its organizational structure, finances and strategies. In the interview, Kube explores the differences between labour and community groups. He offers a unique perspective to the events that took place and some behind-the-scenes…