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The 1947 Chocolate Candy Bar Strike was a brief strike in 1947 over rising candy bar prices. The protest was later squelched as a plot by the Communist Party.
Strike
editRising post-war inflation resulted in the price of a 3 oz. candy bar rising to 8 cents, from the previous 5 cents, a 60 percent rise. Children in the town of Ladysmith, British Columbia discovered this on April 25, 1947. They decided to protest this and constructed signs and marched in town. A local paper published a story on the march, resulting in a cross-Canada strike. On April 30, 200 children marched on the steps of the British Columbia capitol building, shutting down the legislature. Other protests occurred in capital cities across Canada. Sales of candy bars in Canada dropped 80 percent.
Some adults supported the strike. Among these was the National Federation of Labour Youth (NFLY), which was affiliated with the Canadian Communist Party.
On May 3, a story ran in the Toronto Evening Telegram, about an anonymous source that claimed that the strike was the idea of NFLY and hence the Communist Party.[1] Following the story, plans for a large rally in Toronto dissolved, and the strike as well.[2]
References
edit- ^ Chris Bateman (20 February 2016). "Historicist: The Candy Bar Strike". Torontoist. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ Rob Lammle (7 February 2013). "A Brief History of the 1947 Chocolate Candy Bar Strike". Mental Floss. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
External links
edit- Phillip Daniels (dir). The Five Cent War (Documentary). Syndicado. ASIN B009F3QD6S. Retrieved 12 May 2017 – via Amazon Video.
- Mulder, Michelle (2007). Maggie and the chocolate war. Toronto: Second Story Press. ISBN 978-1897187272.
- L.M. McKechnie (May 3, 1947). "Reds Seen Duping Youth In 8-Cent Bar Campaign". Toronto Telegram.
- "1947: 'Don't be a sucker! Don't buy 8-cent bars!'". CBC Archives. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- "HP1947: The Morrisburg 1947 Chocolate Bar Strike". stlawrencepiks.com. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- Tom Hawthorn (April 23, 2012). "From a shop in Ladysmith, chocolate strike affected sales across the country". Globe And Mail. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- "Candy price hike sent kids into the streets". Times Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. 7 December 2008. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com.