Since this essay was first written in 1996 (and published in
1997), the author has noted a number of positive responses to the
suggestion that the role of workers and of unions be more prominently
recognized on Canadian stamps. The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
has been particularly active in this area and sponsored a resolution
at the 1996 convention of the Canadian Labour Congress calling for
"a series of stamps devoted to the important events and people
in the history of the Canadian labour movement". Several Members
of Parliament have also indicated their support.
These efforts may have contributed to the approval of a commemorative
stamp (#1657) issued in 1997
on the occasion of the world congress of the
Postal, Telegraph and Telephone International which took place in
Montréal that summer. This organization represents more than
250 unions from around the world, including several Canadian unions.
The stamp includes the images of a letter carrier and a
telecommunications worker. CLC executive vice-president Jean-Claude
Parrot, a past president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers,
welcomed the issuance of this stamp by Canada Post: "It's nice to
see that the Corporation has finally recognized workers, especially
during an international conference of trade unionists".
Nevertheless, the appearance of this stamp did not mark a significant
departure from existing patterns in the representation of workers,
as postal workers and international organizations in the postal
sector have both been recognized in the past.
Canada Scott 1657
Stamp reproduced courtesy of Canada Post Corporation
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In the 1998 stamp programme, there continued to be allusions to the
world of work, but the workers themselves remained for the most part
out of the picture. The Bluenose trope was again in evidence, in
this case on a stamp honouring the vessel's designer, William
Roué. There was a stamp paying tribute to the health professions,
represented in this case not by persons but by symbols. There was a
stamp for the centennial of the Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and
Petroleum - an industrial association in one of Canada's most
important economic sectors. A number of inland canals also received
attention - for their significance as recreational sites today; a
number of these canals are prominently remembered in labour history
for the exceptionally difficult conditions experienced by the
19th-century immigrant workers who constructed them. Also this year
a tribute to the innovative Quebec artists known as the
"automatistes" included a work of art by Marcelle Ferron
entitled "Syndicat des gens de mer"; but given the abstract
nature of the style, the implied reference to workers was difficult
to appreciate. Interestingly, the 1998 releases included a stamp
featuring a prominent socialist political figure; this was again
an indirect reference, as it appeared in a series on well-known
provincial premiers; one of the ten provincial premiers included
here was Tommy Douglas, who headed a Cooperative Commonwealth
Federation (CCF) government in Saskatchewan (1944-61) and
subsequently served as the first federal leader of the New Democratic
Party.
At this writing, the announced stamp releases for 1999 contain no
departures from the patterns that have been described. There will
be stamps for Frontier College and for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool,
organizations that occupy a place in the history of Canada's social
reform tradition. There will be a series of low-value definitive
stamps featuring artisans and their crafts. There will also be a
stamp for the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union, but
as in the past, this should not be identified as a stamp recognizing
the place of organized labour in Canadian society. There is still a
need to make room for the workers.