The
Trades and Labour Congress of Canada was a
Canada-wide central federation of
trade unions from 1883 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto
Trades and Labour Council and the
Knights of Labor. It was the third attempt at a national labour federation to be formed in Canada: it succeeded the
Canadian Labour Union which existed from 1873 to 1877 and the Canadian Labour Congress which held only one conference in 1881.