OTTAWA – The temperature inside and outside of Parliament was unusually hot for August. The minority Trudeau government was scrambling to table back-to-work legislation to put an end to the strike of thousands of railway employees, hundreds of which were priming to storm Parliament.

The date was Aug. 30, 1973, and the striking non-operations railway workers’ union members were about to storm Ottawa’s Centre Block in the most “explosive,” alcohol-fuelled “rampage” on Parliament Hill in Canada’s then-centennial history.

What was reportedly the largest-yet storming of Centre Block ended with minor injuries, cuts and bruises, over a dozen broken windows and likely more than a handful of painful hangovers{ai:summary}<p>The air crackled with tension in Parliament, both inside and out, as Trudeau's minority government rushed to quell a brewing storm—thousands of railroad workers on strike, fueled by frustration and booze, ready to unleash chaos on Ottawa's Centre Block.  </p><p>On that fateful August 30, 1973, history teetered on the edge, with tempers flaring hot enough to scald. A legislative showdown loomed as the unity of a nation hung in the balance.  
#politics</p>

51 years ago, a railway strike led to the most 'explosive' alcohol-fuelled 'rampage' on Parliament Hill

Loading...