[ottawa-activist-events] Tonight - Betrayed: The Story of Canadian Merchant Seamen - 7:30 pm @ Library and Archives Canada
Len Bush
Monday May 1st 2006
Mayworks Event
7:30 p.m. Library and Archives Canada Auditorium, 395 Wellington Street
Betrayed: The Story of Canadian Merchant Seamen
Elaine Bričre introduces and discusses her acclaimed documentary about the
Canadian Seaman's Union.
Opening concert by singer-songwriter Mike Ford of Canada's
folk-pop-vaudeville band, Moxy Früvous.
Admission: $5
The 56 minute film 'Betrayed' tells the story of the little-known struggle
of merchant seamen to save the merchant fleet and their livelihood. It
traces the history of Canadian shipping from the international strike of
1949 to the globalization of coastal shipping in Australia by Canada
Steamship Lines, a company owned by the family of former Canadian Prime
Minister Paul Martin.
Although Canada is surrounded by three oceans, there is not a single
deep-sea ship flying the Canadian flag today. Sixty years ago, Canada had
the fourth-largest merchant fleet in the world. Canadian ships brought vital
supplies to Allied forces in Europe during World War II. The men sailing
those ships were war heroes who suffered the highest rate of losses in the
line of duty. Their union, The Canadian Seamen's Union (CSU), brought the
eight-hour work day, sick leave and pay increases to an industry known for
low wages and brutal working conditions. After the war, when the Liberal
government of Louis St. Laurent began to privatize the merchant fleet, the
CSU strongly opposed the sell-off. The Canadian government and ship owners
initiated a campaign to discredit the CSU. McCarthyism was at its peak, and
this was a time of fear, confusion and betrayal.
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