Albert "Ginger" Goodwin (May 10, 1887 – 27 July 1918) inspired the first General Strike in Canada on August 2, 1918 in Vancouver, British Columbia. This strike preceded the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, an important moment in Canadian labour history.

Goodwin was born in Treeton, Yorkshire, England, and was a coal miner for most of his life. He mined in England, in Nova Scotia, and on Vancouver Island. It appears that the vicious coal strike on Vancouver Island in 1912-13 radicalized Goodwin's views. Goodwin was elected vice-president of the British Columbia Federation of Labour in 1917 and secretary of the Trail Mill and Smeltermen's Union, Local 105 of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. Goodwin also ran unsuccessfully for the Socialist Party of Canada in Trail in 1916.

During World War I, Goodwin was examined and considered temporarily unfit for military duty because he was suffering from miner's black lung and bad teeth. The conscription board reversed its decision after Goodwin led the strike at the Trail, B.C, lead/zinc smelter in 1917 for the eight hour day. As a pacifist opposed to the war, Goodwin fled Cumberland for the bush where he successfully avoided capture for some months with the aid of his fellow workers from Cumberland.

Hunted by the police for evading the draft, Goodwin camped in the hills surrounding Cumberland, British Columbia. On July 27, 1918, he was shot and killed by Dominion Police Special Constable Dan Campbell. Goodwin was given a large funeral, but Campbell, who claimed he fired in self-defense, was never tried for the death. His killing sparked the Vancouver general strike in August 1918.

The Ginger Group, a faction of radical Progressive and Labour Members of Parliament who split in 1924 and advocated socialism, were named after Goodwin. The new highway near Cumberland was briefly named for Goodwin, though the resulting removal of the name signs indicates the continuing controversy over Goodwin's death and legacy.

[edit] External links

Organized Labour portal

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Daily Bleed Calendar May 10, 1887 Reference page