BCTF MATTERS
BCTF100 Celebrating a century
VANCOUVER, January 4, 1917: The founding meeting of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation took place at King Edward High at Oak and 12th Avenue. At the time, it was the city’s only secondary school. Mr. J. G. Lister was elected the first BCTF president, and the objectives adopted at this meeting guide the Federation to this day: • To foster and promote the cause of education. • To raise the status of the teaching profession in BC. • To promote the welfare of the teachers of BC. In 1917, Canadians pledged allegiance to King George V in London. Prime Minister Robert Borden led in Ottawa. In Victoria, Liberal Premier Harlan Brewster fought political corruption, brought in prohibition, and enacted women’s suffrage. On April 5 of that year, the women of BC finally won the right to vote, but it would be another four decades before women teachers won an end to discrimination in salary scales. The first woman to lead the
BCTF, Hilda Cryderman, would not be elected president until 1954. Looking back over the century, it’s clear that the BCTF has consistently led the way in making our public school system one of the finest in the world. We should be proud of our shared history. There are not many organizations in BC that can claim a century of proud activism for the causes in which they so passionately believe.
Online museum in progress Over the next year the Federation will be launching a variety of initiatives to look back and to look forward. One of the most exciting is the BCTF online museum. Now under construction, the new museum site will host a variety of exhibits about different aspects of the Federation’s history such as collective bargaining, professional development, pensions, governance, social justice unionism, and international solidarity. A series of virtual “rooms” will display articles, photos, artifacts, and collections including editorial cartoons, campaign materials, and much more. They will also feature videos of oral history interviews with past presidents, activists, and classroom teachers who played important roles throughout the decades. The online museum will highlight the tremendous skill and commitment of past generations of teachers as they confronted the pressing issues of the day. At the same time, it will also celebrate the forwardthinkers who are even now creating the future of our public education system in classrooms and communities across BC.
Hilda Cryderman, first woman elected BCTF President
King Edward High, Vancouver 1918 motion asking for equal pay for women