The government authorities: Mr. Duplessis and Mr. Barrette.
Maurice Duplessis, (right), had been premier since 1944. During the strike, as attorney general, he had authority over the provincial police and the operation of the province's legal machinery. The premier accused the union leaders of acting out of personal interest, contending that a handful of leaders had stirred up the workers. Mr. Duplessis stayed in close contact with the employer faction. He was indirectly responsible for the settlement, which was reached when the union leaders accepted the conditions for returning to work that he had set forth many times during the strike.
The Honourable Antonio Barrette, (left), Minister of Labour, also intervened. At the outset, he declared the work stoppage illegal and threatened the union wth the loss of its certification. This was, in effect. what happened several days later through the action of the Labour Relations Board. Union leaders then called for Barrette's resignation.
Courtesy: Public Archives of Canada (left) Documentation Centre, Le Soleil. (right)
