Cape Breton Unions
Essay title: Cape Breton Unions
Although the Communist Party of Canada had tremendous influence among miners in Cape Breton during the 1920s and 1930s, the rise of dual unionism among miners was not the result of the partys policy of “red unions”. The CPCs influence in Cape Breton derived largely from the work and reputation of J.B. McLachlan, who had been involved in miners struggles for decades. McLachlan maintained a principled position in support of the rank-and-file and the Leninist conception of the united front. As the CPC began to follow the sharp changes in the Communist Internationals line after the mid-1920s, McLachlan came into conflict with the CPC, and eventually resigned in 1936, marking the demise of Communist influence in Cape Breton.
Prior to the formation of the Communist Party of Canada, the socialist movement had already established deep roots in Cape Breton, largely through the Socialist Party of Canada. In 1909, when District 26 of the United Mine Workers of America was formed, J.B. McLachlan and other SPC members were elected as executive officers.[1] In 1911, Alex McKinnon, was voted in to the Nova Scotia legislature representing a riding in Cape Breton, claiming “the honour of being the first socialist candidate for any legislature east of Saskatchewan.”[2]
Following the formation of the Communist Party of Canada in May 1921, the SPC split over the question of whether or not to join. By January 1922