Industrialization in Canada, as elsewhere, brought with it increasingly poor employment standards. Employers often took advantage of their workers by providing them with little to no health and safety elements in the workplace and no job security. When the workers formed unions, negotiations between the employer and union often dragged on or broke down completely. In these instances the unions would use techniques such as strikes and sabotage to impress on the employer the idea that the workers had rights as humans and even deserved respect. The unionism would then often build solidarity between workers, even in different industries. In response, the Canadian government established the Conciliation Act of 1900. This act created the federal Department of Labour whose purpose was to help settle labour disputes and promote fair wages and proper conditions for workers.
who enforces the canada labour code part ii and its regulations
Department of Labour