Industrialization in Canada, as elsewhere, brought with it increasingly poor employment
standards. Employers often took advantage of their workers by providing them with
little health and safety elements in the workplace and no job security.
When the workers formed unions, negotiations between the employer and union often
dragged on or broke down completely. In response, the Canadian government established
the Conciliation Act of 1900. This act created the federal Department of Labour
whose purpose was to help settle labour disputes and promote fair wages and proper
conditions for workers.
Source: Canadian
Labour Wikipedia
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