The only real power the miners have is the collective withdrawal of their labour; work stoppages are endemic to the coal industry. Initially most disputes were resolved without resorting to this measure or the strikes produced quick results, but as the industry expanded and ownership became more concentrated the miners were obliged to launch a more systematic defence of their rights and interests. After the turn of the century, strikes occurred more frequently, and workers were organized so as to tie-up the entire industry or at least the operations of a particular company. The apprehended violence of such incidents frequently resulted in the dispatch of military forces to the coal towns in order to prevent property damage.
While such action was not uncommon in pre-World War I Canada, the recurrent use of the military in Nova Scotia's coal fields was out of all proportion to the situation. Beginning in the 1880s, troops were sent to Cape Breton at the slightest indication of trouble. This action was taken even when the municipal government, which was technically responsible for declaring an emergency, insisted that no such situation existed. The coal reserves were the property of the provincial government and it clearly viewed strikes in an industry which furnished so much of its revenue as a threat to an essential service. At one point in the 1920s, almost half of Canada's military forces were stationed in Cape Breton to quell an insurrection which never materialized. The military force "protected" government and company property, and ensured the safety of non-union or "scab" labourers.
Courtesy: Beaton Institute, College of Cape Breton
