The Nova Scotia coalfields, especially on Cape Breton Island, were an important site of class conflict in the early 1920s. In early 1922, the British Empire Steel Corporation (or "BESCO") in Nova Scotia reduced the wages of coal miners by one-third. The workers, organized as District 26 of the United Mine Workers of America had gained official recognition during the 1919 strike wave. Led by J.B. McLachlan, they responded by reducing production by one-third, and by the end of the summer about half of the wage reduction was withdrawn.Manley, John. “Preaching the Red Stuff: J.B. McLachlan, Communism, and the Cape Breton Miners, 1922-1935.” Labour / Le Travail, vol. 30, 1992, pp. 65–114. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25143622. Accessed 21 February 2021. Smaller strikes took place on a local level during this period over issues of workplace management, supervision, and safety. In 1923, steel workers in Cape Breton struck for the recognition of their union. In support of the steel workers, Cape Breton coal miners went on strike as well. Provincial police were deployed to forcefully disperse the workers, who had congregated to picket the steel plant gates in Whitney Pier. Two labour leaders were arrested, including McLachlan.Frank, David. "James Bryson McLachlan".  The Canadian Encyclopedia, 16 December 2013, Historica Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-bryson-mclachlan. Accessed 20 February 2021. McLachlan was removed from office by the UMWA and also convicted of seditious libel. The Communist Party of Canada, which McLachlan had joined at the end of 1922, denounced the suppression of the strike. Annie Buller, one of the party's founders and most influential spokesmen traveled to Cape Breton where she assisted the workers in organizing.Sangster, Joan. "Annie Buller".  The Canadian Encyclopedia, 09 September 2019, Historica Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/annie-buller. Accessed 21 February 2021.
