As Friend and Foe

Through the use of stock footage and stills photographs, this film describes labor's early history in Canada, the growth of unionism, and the role of government as both friend and foe of Canadian workers. The film outlines the little-known role of William Lyon Mackenzie King in developing both theoretical and practical solutions to labor conflict in Canada and the United States. Particular attention is given to the seventies, during which a new era of collective-bargaining relations emerged. (Doug Taylor)