Winnipeg in Focus is a database for archival descriptions and digital collections at the City of Winnipeg Archives.

1919 Winnipeg General Strike

Winnipeg Riot, June 10, 1919. Click to go to description

On May 15, 1919, tens of thousands of workers throughout the City of Winnipeg walked off the job in solidarity with striking building and metal trades workers. At issue was the right to unionize and bargain collectively. The strike brought the City to a standstill for six weeks. After a number of strike leaders were arrested – including two City Aldermen – and the Northwest Mounted Police killed one man and mortally wounded another when they charged a crowd on “Bloody Saturday”, strike leaders called off the General Strike on June 25. It officially ended the following day.

The General Strike of 1919 was a pivotal moment in Winnipeg's history. To mark its centennial anniversary, the City of Winnipeg Archives has digitized and made accessible nearly 300 records that document the role of the City and its employees before, during, and after this important event. Included are records of the 1918 Civic Strike – which laid a foundation for the strike of 1919 – as well as digitized records from the Winnipeg Police Museum.


Browse All Records | Browse Documents | Browse Photos | General Strike Research Guide


See also: Unbreakable: The Spirit of the Strike, a collaborative project between the University of Manitoba Libraries, the City of Winnipeg Archives, the University of Winnipeg Archives, the University of Calgary Archives and Special Collections, and the Association for Manitoba Archives.