Labour Day (French: Fête du Travail) is a statutory public holiday in Canada that occurs on the first Monday in September. It is one of several Labour Day celebrations that occur in countries around the world. The Canadian celebration of Labour Day occurs on the same day each year as Labor Day in the United States.
History
Labour Day has been marked as a statutory public holiday in Canada on the first Monday in September since 1894. However, the origins of Labour Day in Canada can be traced back to numerous local demonstrations and celebrations in earlier decades. Such events assumed political significance in 1872, when an April labour demonstration in Toronto, in support of striking printers, led directly to the enactment of the Trade Unions Act, a law that confirmed the legality of unions.
Ten years later, on July 22, 1882, a huge labour celebration in Toronto attracted the attention of the American labour leader Peter J. McGuire, who organized a similar parade in New York City on September 5 that year. Unions associated with the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor...