Ottawa and District Labour Council
Encyclopedia
The Ottawa and District Labour Council or ODLC (french name Conseil du Travail d’Ottawa et du District or CTOD) is the central labour body for Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. Its membership is union locals of national or international unions affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress
. The Ottawa & District Labour Council is one of the oldest Canadian labour organizations tracing its inception to the Ottawa Trades Council
in 1872.
In 1957, with the merger of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
(TCL) and the Canadian Congress of Labour
(CCL) to form the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) their two rival labour councils also merged. The Allied Trades and Labour Association (TLC) and the Ottawa-Hull Labour Council (CCL) merged to form the Ottawa and District Trades and Labour Council. It was not long after that the name was shortened to the Ottawa and District Labour Council.
No official records have survived prior to 1906 but it is known that the Council initiated the first official meeting of labour with a Prime Minister of Canada
, Sir John A. Macdonald
in 1873. It took part in the formation of the first national central labour body, the Canadian Labour Union
hosting its second convention in 1874. That same year the Council's President, Daniel John O'Donoghue
, was elected to the Ontario Legislature, the first trade unionist elected to a legislature in Canada. The council disbanded in 1877 and reformed in 1889.
The records of the council which include minutes, reports, correspondence, files and yearbooks are on file at the National Archives of Canada dating from 1906. These records are open to the general public.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Its membership is union locals of national or international unions affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
. The Ottawa & District Labour Council is one of the oldest Canadian labour organizations tracing its inception to the Ottawa Trades Council
Ottawa Trades Council
Ottawa Trades Council was the first local labour central body established to unite workers in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It was founded on December 19, 1872, at the St. Lawrence Hotel. The executive had representation from the Bricklayers and Masons, Limestone Cutters, Plasterers, and the...
in 1872.
In 1957, with the merger of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
Trades and Labour Congress of Canada
The Trades and Labour Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1883 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor...
(TCL) and the Canadian Congress of Labour
Canadian Congress of Labour
The Canadian Congress of Labour was founded in 1940 and merged with Trades and Labour Congress of Canada to form the Canadian Labour Congress in 1956.-Founding:...
(CCL) to form the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) their two rival labour councils also merged. The Allied Trades and Labour Association (TLC) and the Ottawa-Hull Labour Council (CCL) merged to form the Ottawa and District Trades and Labour Council. It was not long after that the name was shortened to the Ottawa and District Labour Council.
No official records have survived prior to 1906 but it is known that the Council initiated the first official meeting of labour with a Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
, Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
in 1873. It took part in the formation of the first national central labour body, the Canadian Labour Union
Canadian Labour Union
The Canadian Labour Union was the short-lived first attempt at a national central organization to represent labour unions in Canada. It was founded in Toronto, Ontario on September 23, 1873, by 46 local unions. It could not be called a national body as only Ontario based unions participated...
hosting its second convention in 1874. That same year the Council's President, Daniel John O'Donoghue
Daniel John O'Donoghue
Daniel John O'Donoghue was a printer, labour leader and political figure in Ontario. O'Donoghue is recognized as one of the original founders of organized labour in Canada and in 1874 he became the first labour candidate election to a Canadian legislature.-Labour activism:He was born near...
, was elected to the Ontario Legislature, the first trade unionist elected to a legislature in Canada. The council disbanded in 1877 and reformed in 1889.
The records of the council which include minutes, reports, correspondence, files and yearbooks are on file at the National Archives of Canada dating from 1906. These records are open to the general public.