Were unions able to represent their members once they had been freed from prosecution for conspiracy under the criminal law in 1872?

Not really. Although unions and their members could no longer be prosecuted for criminal conspiracy and were free to join unions, there were no corresponding rights of recognition by employers. Unlike Great Britain where there was an extensive history of voluntary collective bargaining, Canadian unions had no such history and employers were generally not willing to recognize unions in their workplaces on a voluntary basis.

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