Tag Archives: employment

The Abella Commission: A step closer to equality in the labour market

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Version française

By Mathieu Rompré

The year 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the tabling of the final report of the Royal Commission on Equality in Employment, also known as the Abella Commission. It was named after Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, who presided over it. (You can consult the electronic version of the report in three parts.) This federal commission of inquiry was established in 1983 by the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, Minister of Employment and Immigration in the then-Liberal government.

Photograph of a young girl facing forward, in close-up. The bold text above the photograph reads: [translation] “Girls? As many opportunities as boys? Why not?”

Advertisement for International Women’s Year, 1975. Source: Library and Archives Canada (e010753405).

The social context of the early 1980s and the workforce outlook at the time explain the creation of the Abella Commission. It was already expected that women and people from other target groups would make up the majority of entrants to the labour market in the coming years. The Commission was tasked with investigating and reporting on the most effective and equitable ways to promote employment opportunities, eliminate systemic discrimination, and ensure equal employment opportunities for all. Its first task was to examine employment practices in major federal Crown corporations (Petro-Canada, Air Canada, Canadian National Railway Company, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Canada Post Corporation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Export Development Corporation, Teleglobe Canada, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, and Federal Business Development Bank). In its second phase, the Commission would investigate ways to address shortcomings in employment practices, which included the study of a mandatory affirmative action program.

A 1981 Vancouver Sun cartoon showing a man sitting at his desk speaking to a female employee. The text below the image, written in English, says: “I want you to know, Miss Fairgender, I'm completely in accord with the call for equal pay for equal work, bearing in mind the difference in our equality...”

Cartoon from the Vancouver Sun, November 24, 1981. Source: Leonard Matheson Morris fonds, Library and Archives Canada (cr0016620).

The Commission held hearings in 17 Canadian cities between August 1983 and March 1984, receiving a total of 274 submissions. Although not widely known to the general public today, the Abella Commission had a significant impact on Canadian society. The federal government took advantage of the establishment of the Commission to extend an affirmative action program across the Public Service of Canada. In the following years, many private companies implemented similar programs, and today, initiatives aimed at promoting the employment of women or certain minority groups have become common practice.

Although much work remains to be done regarding workplace equality, the Abella Commission significantly improved the situation for women and several minority groups in Canada. It was through the Commission that the concept of “employment equity” and theories on equality and discrimination, which form the foundation of the final report, were created. The report’s recommendations were implemented not only in Canada, but also in New Zealand, Northern Ireland, and South Africa. Given this influence, it is not surprising that Justice Abella was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004.

Portrait of the Honourable Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, facing forward, in close-up, wearing her Supreme Court of Canada robe.

Official portrait of the Honourable Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella at the Supreme Court of Canada.
© Supreme Court of Canada. Credit: Philippe Landreville.

For more information about the Abella Commission and its critiques, please visit the Commission of Inquiry on Equality in Employment fonds (RG33-133, R1066-0-3-E, which includes approximately 5.5 metres of textual records) held at Library and Archives Canada, as well as the texts below.

Additional resources

  • Rapport de la Commission sur l’égalité en matière d’emploi, Rosalie Silberman Abella (OCLC 16024519)
  • Research Studies of the Commission on Equality in Employment, Rosalie Silberman Abella (OCLC 503015915)
  • Focus on Employment Equity. A Critique of the Abella Royal Commission Report, Walter Block and Michael A. Walker (OCLC 300593021)

Mathieu Rompré is an archivist with the Government Archives Division of Library and Archives Canada.

Railway sleeping car porters

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By Dalton Campbell

Railway sleeping cars were introduced to Canada in the 1870s by the Pullman Palace Car Company. Pullman built and operated luxury passenger rail cars equipped with seating areas that converted into bunk beds; the seats were converted into the lower berth and the upper berth was pulled down from the ceiling. Pullman cars were known for their accommodations, comfort, and the service provided by the porters.

A black-and-white photograph of three men posing beside a railway car. A chef stands on the steps leading into the train, another man holds the handrail and the third, a porter, stands to the side beside the train.

A porter with two other employees at a stop during the tour of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle across Canada, 1914 (a011186)

A black-and-white photograph of a woman, in profile, lying under the blankets in the lower bunk reading a newspaper.

In the evenings, the porters would make up the beds. One of the seats was extended to create the comfortable lower bunk. While the passengers slept, the porters continued to work until after midnight. The porters could nap if there were no calls or emergencies during the night, but were awake to begin their workday before dawn, 1937 (e010861953)

A black-and-white photograph of people seated in a railway sleeping car, looking out the windows.

While the passengers were at breakfast, the porters would convert the berths back into seating. The upper berth would be stowed into the panels above the passenger seats, 1929 (e010861953)

The railways were one of the few Canadian companies to hire Black men in the early 20th century. It was an opportunity that appealed to many men. There were limitations, however. The railways hired Black men solely to be porters, and from the First World War until the 1950s, did not hire or promote black men to the post of engineer, conductor, or any other job on the train.

The porters served the passengers during their trip; they would help with boarding and disembarking, serve drinks and snacks, set up berths, make beds, polish shoes, tend to and entertain small children, and cater to the customers’ needs and wants. The porters were essential to rail travel—they were always present but also pushed to the background.

A black-and-white photograph of people in a train station. A porter, with luggage on a dolly, is facing away from the camera. Two well-dressed travellers are speaking to a ticket agent. An information board with destinations is on the wall behind the travellers announcing the train as “The Dominion” from Montréal to Vancouver. A passenger train is visible in the background.

A porter takes luggage for passengers about to board “The Dominion” at Windsor Station, Montréal, Quebec, circa 1947 (e003641861)

The men received regular wages, had the opportunity to see Canada and meet travellers. Stanley Grizzle, a former sleeping car porter, states in his autobiography that porters were admired within the Black community.

These benefits and rewards came at a cost. Porters worked long hours, often on call for 24 hours with their sleeping accommodations on the train in the men’s smoking room. They were frequently away from home for days at a time. They were also wary of passenger complaints and were often subject to harsh discipline from management. Porters would risk reprisals from passengers when they reported gambling, excessive drinking, or illegal activities.

The porters received demeaning and insulting comments and names from passengers. Stanley Grizzle wrote that passengers would frequently address porters as “George” after George Pullman, the original owner of the Pullman Car Company. The porters were also forced to rely on tips from passengers. While the money was welcome, Stanley Grizzle writes, the act of asking for a tip was demeaning, reinforced subservience, and allowed the company to justify keeping wages low because of the tips.

A black-and-white photograph of a crowd of people with baggage standing on the platform next to a passenger train. Two porters are seen beside the train. One is on the platform attending to some luggage; the other stands in the doorway of the train. An automobile in the foreground has a sign on the door reading “Jasper Park Lodge.” Mountains are visible in the distance.

Two porters assist passengers and other crew at the railway station in Jasper, Alberta, 1929 (a058321)

The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was organized in Canada during the Second World War. The union helped to negotiate higher wages, better working (and sleeping) conditions, fairer and more transparent disciplinary measures, and ended racial discrimination in hiring and promotions. Beginning in the 1960s with changes in the travel industry, the railways were employing fewer and fewer sleeping car porters. In 1999, Heritage Canada unveiled a plaque at Windsor Station, Montréal, Quebec, to honour the sleeping car porters.

Related resources

Dalton Campbell is an archivist in the Science, Environment and Economy Section of the Private Archives Division.