Looking forward to Labour Day

The meaning behind some parts of our history tends to fade from our collective memory over time. This is certainly the case for Labour Day, a holiday that has taken on a whole new significance through the years. One thing remains the same, however: Canadians continue to welcome this long weekend with open arms.

Nowadays, Labour Day signals the end of summer activities and the beginning of a new school year, and it is a time to relax before our busy fall schedules take precedence. Even though there is still a feeling of summer in the air, we become more aware that the days are getting shorter and we notice that the harvest season is around the corner, bringing fall scents like hay and wet fallen leaves.

Labour Day is a time of change in many different ways, and it provides a wonderful opportunity to roam the countryside, stocking up on freshly-picked vegetables or biting into crispy apples. It is a favourite time of year for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds, with some people taking advantage of this three-day weekend to travel even further afield, exploring new areas of the country.

Yet there is a great deal of meaning behind this special event, which we all celebrate on the first Monday of September. It should also be a time to remember the origins of Labour Day, to remember that, without the efforts and sacrifices of the labour movement to improve working conditions during the 1880s and ‘90s, this holiday would not exist. That vast mobilization of the labour force, born in big cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, grew to encompass the entire Canadian working class and became the holiday that we know today.