Institutions and ideas - Some millennial reflections on the state of Canadian labour history

The surprise of being invited to comment on the state of Canadian labour hi story was exceeded by the honour. The explosive early growth of the field i n the 1970s, and its domination by the team that created Labour/Le Travail, has concealed stasis and even a decline in the past decade, as a harsh eco nomic climate sent the paths of the labour movement and of younger historia ns in unexpected directions. Historians who believed they got closer to the present by understanding the past might reflect on misjudgements as well a s successes.