Labour / Le Travail
Issue 94 (2024)
Minutes / Procès-verbal
Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Committee
on Labour History
25 June 2024
Convened virtually from locations across Turtle Island
The meeting was called to order at 4:08 pm Atlantic Time with Kassandra Luciuk in the Chair.
Attendees: Kassandra Luciuk, Mikhail Borge, Linda Kealey, Greg Kealey, Joan Sangster, Ben Isitt, Jason Russell, James Naylor, Bryan Palmer, Camille Robert, Rhonda Hinther, Benoit Marsan, David Harris, Ken Clavette, Denyse Baillargeon, Kathy Killoh, Ellen Ramsay, and David Camfield.
1. Introductions
Attendees introduced themselves.
2. Adoption of Agenda
It was moved by Kirk Niergarth, seconded by James Naylor, that the Agenda be adopted as presented.
Carried unanimously.
3. Adoption of Minutes of 2023 Annual Meeting
It was moved by Greg Kealey, seconded by Kirk Niergarth, that the Minutes of the 2023 Annual Meeting be adopted.
Carried unanimously.
4. President’s report
Kassandra Luciuk delivered the President’s Report.
She discussed cclh activities in the previous year, including the creation of two new grant programs: the Graduate Award and the Small Grants Award.
Regarding Congress 2024, Dr. Luciuk discussed the labour dispute at McGill University and the decision to shift cclh activities to Concordia University.
Regarding Congress 2025, she discussed plans for next year’s conference at George Brown College including cclh sponsored sessions.
Regarding the 2023 cclh Article Prize, the award went to Don Nerbas, “‘Lawless Coal Miners’ and the Lingan Strike of 1882–1883: Remaking Political Order on Cape Breton’s Sydney Coalfield,” Labour Le Travail 92 (Autumn 2023): 81–122. The Honourable Mention went to Lauren Laframboise, “‘La Grève De La fierté’: Resisting Deindustrialization in Montréal’s Garment Industry, 1977–1983,” Labour Le Travail 91 (Spring 2023): 57–88.
The Forsey Graduate Prize was awarded to Simon Vickers, “Jobs, Homes, and the Right to Exist: Neigbourhood Activism in Deindustrializing Toronto and Montreal, 1963-1989,” University of Toronto, 2021.
The Forsey Undergraduate Prize was awarded to David Cowx, “An Economic History of the Yukon: Capitalism and Class in the North, 1800-2000.” Dalhousie University.
Regarding surplus funds from the 2022 cclh Conference, cclh was able to sponsor a lecture series in several Canadian cities.
Regarding the website, additional bilingual content was added and refined, with the able support of Frederic Demers. New materials were also added, including Douglas Vaisey’s The Labour Companion: A Bibliography of Printed Sources of Canadian Labour History and Michael Lonardo’s Canadian Labour History Bibliography, 1976-2009.
It was moved by Bryan Palmer, seconded by Benoit Marsan, that the President’s Report be adopted.
Carried unanimously.
5. LABOUR / LE TRAVAIL editors’ report
Kirk Niergarth provided the Labour / Le Travail Editors’ Report.
He discussed a lecture and public-event series sponsored by cclh and Labour / Le Travail in Vancouver, Calgary, Hamilton and Montreal, deploying the surplus from the 2022 cclh Conference.
Jason Russell discussed the Hamilton event sponsored by the McMaster Labour Studies Program in the autumn of 2023, moderated by Judy Fudge.
Camille Robert discussed a two-day event in Montreal in February 2024 attended by nearly 100 participants, including Francophone and Anglophone labour activists and scholars. A special issue of Labour / Le Travail is pending arising from papers at the conference.
Dr. Niergarth discussed other activities of the journal, including pending submissions and plans for a 50th anniversary special edition.
Dr. Niergarth also discussed financial challenges arising from ssrhc funding becoming conditional on immediate open access (with content being immediately available to the public free of charge, rather than being embargoed for one year during which material is only available to subscribers).
Jason Russell discussed the Canadian Association for Work and Labour Studies (cawls) Article Prize, which was awarded to Tee Wern Lim, Arn Keeling, and Terre Satterfield, “‘We Thought It Would Last Forever’: The Social Scars and Legacy Effects of Mine Closure at Nanisivik, Canada’s First High Arctic Mine,” Labour/Le Travail 91 (Spring 2023): 115–146.
Greg Kealey said that the Canadian Association of Labour Media (calm) Ed Finn Award (Honourable Mention) was awarded for Ron Verzuh’s article, “A Crusading Voice for the Mining West: How the Rossland Evening World Served Militant Workers at the Turn of the 20th Century,” Labour/Le Travail 92 (Fall 2023): 229–258.
It was moved by Bryan Palmer, seconded by Linda Kealey, that the Editors’ Report be adopted.
Carried unanimously.
6. Treasurer’s Report
Greg Kealey provided the Treasurer’s Report, indicating that the cclh had another successful year with the organization in healthy financial shape.
The primary revenue source was for electronic publishing rights, followed by the sshrc grant. In addition to funds in the cclh general account, investments were held in several Guaranteed Income Certificates (GICs).
It was moved by Kirk Niergarth, seconded by Joan Sangster, that the Treasurer’s Report be adopted.
Carried unanimously.
7. New Business
(a) Scheduling of 2025 Annual General Meeting
Kassandra Luciuk discussed whether to convene the 2025 cclh annual general meeting virtually and in person.
Attendees expressed support for convening the 2025 AGM virtually, while organizing in-person academic sessions and social events in conjunction with the 2025 Canadian Historical Association Annual Meeting.
(b) Volunteers for cclh Prize Committees
Kassanda Luciuk invited volunteers for 2025 cclh prize committees. The following members volunteered to serve:
- Joan Sangster;
- Rhonda Hinther;
- Jason Russell;
- Jim Naylor; and
- Benoit Marsan.
(c) 2025 cclh Conference
Kassanda Luciuk provided an update on the 2025 cclh Conference, to be convened in Montreal in the autumn of 2025.
Planning was underway among cclh Executive members and an on-the-ground organizing committee in Montreal.
Joan Sangster reiterated her interest in serving on the 2025 cclh Conference Organizing Committee.
8. Elections
Kassandra Luciuk announced that pursuant to the cclh By-laws the following positions were open on the Executive:
- President
- First Vice-President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Member at Large
Dr. Luciuk asked Kirk Niergarth to conduct the election for President.
Kirk Niergarth declared nominations open for the position of cclh President.
Greg Kealey nominated Kassandra Luciuk for President. Kassandra Luciuk accepted the nomination. Kirk Niergarth called three times for further nominations. There being none, Kirk Niergarth declared Kassandra Luciuk acclaimed as cclh President.
Kassandra Luciuk resumed the role of chair and declared nominations open for the position of First Vice President.
Kirk Niergarth nominated Lachlan MacKinnon for First Vice-President, who was unable to attend the meeting. Kirk Niergarth indicated that Lachlan MacKinnon had confirmed in advance his acceptance of the nomination. Kassandra Luciuk called three times for further nominations. There being none, Kassandra Luciuk declared Lachlan MacKinnon acclaimed as cclh First Vice-President.
Kassandra Luciuk declared nominations open for the position of Secretary.
Greg Kealey nominated Ben Isitt for Secretary. Ben Isitt accepted the nomination. Kassandra Luciuk called three times for further nominations. There being none, Kassandra Luciuk declared Ben Isitt acclaimed as cclh Secretary.
Kassandra Luciuk declared nominations open for the position of Treasurer.
Kirk Niergarth nominated Greg Kealey for Treasurer. Greg Kealey accepted the nomination. Kassandra Luciuk called three times for further nominations. There being none, Kassandra Luciuk declared Greg Kealey acclaimed as cclh Treasurer.
Kassandra Luciuk declared nominations open for the position of Member at Large.
Jason Russell nominated Benoit Marsen for Member at Large. Benoit Marsen accepted the nomination. Kassandra Luciuk called three times for further nominations. There being none, Kassandra Luciuk declared Benoit Marsen acclaimed as cclh Member at Large.
9. Announcements
Greg Kealey reminded members that cclh is a registered charity and invited members make financial contributions to ensure cclh’s long-term financial sustainability.
Greg Kealey announced the publication of a collection of essays in association with Athabasca University Press, in the Working Canadians Series:
Lachlan MacKinnon and Andrew Parnaby, Eds. Cape Breton in the Long Twentieth Century: Formations and Legacies of Industrial Capitalism. Athabasca: Athabasca University Press, 2024.
10. Adjournment
It was moved by James Naylor, seconded by Ken Clavette, that the meeting adjourn.
Carried unanimously.
The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 17:14 pm Atlantic Time.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52975/llt.2024v94.0021.
Copyright © 2023 by the Canadian Committee on Labour History. All rights reserved.
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