Tsimshian brass band from Port Simpson (name restored to Lax-Kwʼalaams in 1986) on the streets of Vancouver, British Columbia. The band led multiple marches to support union and labor efforts throughout the region in the early 1900s. Photo: City of Vancouver Archives
Happy Labor Day, celebrating the social and economic achievements of workers, honoring their contributions to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country. Indigenous workers have played significant roles in the North American labor movement, particularly in industries like mining, fishing, logging, and agriculture, yet have often faced unique challenges in accessing employment protections due to the complex intersection of tribal sovereignty, federal Indian law, and traditional labor regulations that still frequently exclude or inadequately address reservation-based employment and Indigenous workers’ rights.
Today, we highlight one story of this effort: the Indigenous salmon fishers who helped build British Columbia’s labor movement in the early 1900s.
When corporate canneries tried to exploit Fraser River fishers in 1901, Indigenous workers from Cowichan to Port Simpson stood in solidarity with their fellow white and Japanese fishers. Chief Jimmy Henry captured the spirit perfectly, reminding the gathered fishers at a mass union meeting “At one time, the Indians owned the whole country, the rivers, everything” and then declared support for a fishing strike.
These weren’t just workers fighting for wages—they were First Nations people defending both their traditional fishing rights AND joining the emerging union movement.
The efforts weren’t limited to just fishers. Indigenous women cannery workers struck alongside the men during the fishing strike as well as part of efforts to improve cannery worker pay. Also, the famous Tsimshian brass band from Port Simpson was among the most militant union locals. On one occasion, they led over 1,000 marchers through Vancouver in an “uplifting demonstration” that stunned the canneries with its solidarity.
Eventually the canneries caved to the demands of the fishers for better pay for their catch. Later, First Nations fishers from Port Simpson remained key organizers in BC’s first coast-wide fishing union.
Where traditional rights met labor organizing, Indigenous workers showed that the fight for justice has deep roots.
Source for story: https://www.knowbc.com/limited/Books/On-the-Line/Chapter-3