British Columbia was the site of some of the most significant events in the history of the labour movement and had some of the best-organized and most politically conscious communist workers. In this illuminating volume, Jon Bartlett follows the activities of BC Communists from the onset of the Great Depression to the coming of the Popular Front and investigates the collisions between these Communists and the organs of the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Reflecting on the vectors of cultural resistance, from the creation of vernacular newspapers to the circulation of popular song and verse, Bartlett charts workers’ efforts to resist wage cutbacks in mines, mills, and the logging and fishing industries and describes the organization of opposition to the relief camps and its outcomes.

Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat are on the board of the Princeton & District Museum & Archives, and have worked as teachers and professional singers; Jon Bartlett also spent time as a legal executive and a historical researcher. Together they have released seven albums, mostly of traditional Canadian songs; and one book, a collection of vernacular verses from the pages of the local presses in British Columbia's Similkameen valley, where they live.

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