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Some more radical theories state that the date
for Labour Day in September was chosen by
conservative governments to take attention away
from May Day, but that theory has no evidence.

 

September is Labour Day, and some see a stark
contrast between the two often confused days.
Some see the bonding of the working class
as what defines International Workers’ Day.
Others—like the Montreal trade and labour
council according to historian Jacques Rouillard—
find May Day’s ties to socialism and communism
too negative to bear and instead celebrate Labour
Day. International Workers’ Day’s association to
communism was even harder to shake after the
Soviet Union adopted the holiday in hopes that
the working classes of the US and Europe would
band together against capitalism. Labour Day has
its own share of negative associations; the Nazis
officiated Labour Day in 1933... and banished free
unions and essentially ended the German labour
movement the day after establishing Labour Day.

Even though some may have distaste for one
day or the other, the two events were similarly
borne from the needs and desires of the working
class. Spring and fall were popular periods for
Canadian workers to march and demonstrate
and, as early as 1880 according to SFU professor
Mark Leier in The Tyee, Labour Day celebrations
by workers consistently reoccurred during May
and September. Some even say that the origin
of Canada’s Labour Day was the 1872 Toronto
printers’ strike which had one tenth of the
population of the city in attendance. The printers’
strike led Conservative Prime Minister John. A
Macdonald to decriminalizing unions in Canada
(some point out the election right around the
corner as a motivator for Macdonald).

Many Canadian workers were calling for
an official Labour Day, but the day was being

 

celebrated in several ways regardless of official
status. The event was so well supported in
Canada that in 1882, an American witnessed the
labour demonstrations in May in Toronto and was
compelled to bring together the first unofficial
American labour day the following September.
Finally in 1894 the Canadian government
made Labour Day a reality after seeing the US
officiate the date—and chose the first Monday
of September for the holiday. Some more radical
theories state that the date was chosen by
conservative governments to take attention away
from May Day, but that theory has no evidence
according to Leier and instead other factors
like the end of harvest and the unofficial use of
September by workers previously are likely what
was considered.

Both Labour Day and May Day come with rich
and similar histories despite what critics will tout
about the separate days. Whether or not it’s
necessary to officiate both dates, abolish one
event, or simply leave the politically left leaning
International Workers’ Day status unofficial will
be answered as time passes. In the past, when
the left-leaning labourers were strong in numbers
they would celebrate May Day whenever it fell
regardless of whether or not it was in the middle
of the week. During years where they could not
rally much spirit, they pushed the event to the
weekend when more people could spare time.
This year the date falls on a Saturday and during
the COVID-19 pandemic so few answers will be
offered about the strength of the support for
International Workers’ Day this year.

 

 

Illustration by Udeshi Seneviratne