Herb Gamberg

Half a century ago, fishermen in three small Nova Scotia communities fought a long and bitter struggle for the right to unionize. Their story was told by Silver Donald Cameron in The Education of Everett Richardson. Cameron has just reissued the book on the 50th anniversary of the strike. As someone who was fortunate to have been a supporter of the fishermen back then, it was a pleasure to reread this book. I find now, as I found then, that Cameron’s telling of this epic fight is not merely an accurate account of events. He manages to capture the unyielding determination of the fishermen and their families and the poignancy of the ordeal they had to endure, while they still maintained their remarkable sense of humour and good cheer. The story also has a large cast of deeply involved characters—Everett and his fellow fishermen, their wives and families, Homer Stevens the union leader from out West who was also a Communist, Reverend Ron Parsons, one of the few church leaders who gave his unwavering support to the fishermen, workers in other industries, and other allies across the province, plus the many establishment representatives who opposed the fishermen. But in addition to retelling a story that kept readers turning the pages all those years ago and that still succeeds in doing just that, Cameron makes an important observation in his new introduction. The same forces that stood in the way of justice and progress in 1970 are still with us. Only now, they target not only workers, but also environmentalists. The enemies of those courageous fishermen who fought for decent pay for their hard work are now also the enemies of those who are fighting for our very survival. And essentially for the same reasons. The big money-makers and their accomplices show little or no concern for anyone or anything else. The parallel is striking.