Annual Sefton-Williams Memorial Lecture

Join us for the Annual Sefton-Williams Memorial lecture featuring David J. Doorey, Associate Professor at York University, speaking on "Can't Get there from Here: Thoughts on the Idea of Labour Law Reform in the 21st Century."

Private sector collective bargaining coverage in Canada has halved over the past 60 years, from a high of near 34% in 1961 to just 15% today.  Collective bargaining under the Canadian Wagner model that has governed since the 1940s is entirely out of reach for Canada’s most vulnerable workers. The age of the Wagner model is past. And yet, that model holds such a normative grip on Canadian labour law psyche that governments and the labour relations community alike struggle to imagine what comes next. Should we move on, and if so how? Every century develops its own labour laws and a quarter way into the 21st century, we remain tied to a World War II era legal relic. Recognizing this reality is the easy part. Deciding where to go next is the central labour policy question of our time.

This is a free, hybrid event and everyone is welcome to attend. In-person attendance is sold out. Alternatively, you can livestream the event via Zoom. 

The Sefton/Williams Memorial Lecture series presents topics of interest to scholars and practitioners of labour-management relations, and is jointly delivered by Woodsworth College and the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto.