A few years ago, I helped teach a drop-in jug band music program for seniors. The other teachers and I performed together as Dr. Phil Harmonic’s Jug Band on a few occasions. At one of our rehearsals, someone suggested I learn Maria Muldaur’s I’m a Woman. The original lyrics celebrate the joys of waking up early to do housework all … Read More
Siddown, Boys, Siddown
On May 20, 1938, about 600 demonstrators staged a sit down strike at the Vancouver Post Office, the art gallery and other locations. The protesters were men who had been unemployed and drifting for months, before Canada had any practical social safety net. The prime minister at the time, R.B. Bennett, was a millionaire who inherited half his fortune and … Read More
Booze, Liquor and Booze
For women, a tricky factor in the early days of Canadian settlement was the fact that they were not legally entitled to own any money or property if they married. Women at the time were more like livestock, a dependent child or a pet than fully human individuals with their own aspirations and accomplishments. In many cases, this was a … Read More
Ten Dollars
This story is based on an excerpt from A Harvest Yet to Reap, which is an absolute gem. One of the first books to explore Canadian history from the point of view of the women who settled here, this book is a collection of original letters, photos, essays, articles and excerpts with minimal commentary. While the prairies technically falls outside … Read More
The Robert Lowe
During the American civil war, shipments of cotton to the textile factories in England ground to a halt. This resulted in a massive surge of unemployment among working class women in textile towns. Most tax funded social welfare programs were not implemented until over half a century later. In a world where the basic necessities of life could only be … Read More