‘Giant’ in labour movement in Canada honoured at Celebration of Life in Toronto

The life and legacy of a “giant” in the Canadian labour movement was celebrated by hundreds of family, friends, and union members who gathered at Toronto’s Exhibition grounds Sunday to celebrate the remarkable life of Basil ‘Buzz’ Hargrove.

Hargrove, an iconic yet deeply controversial figure in Canada’s labour movement with a career defined by courage, fairness, and an unwavering belief in the power of working people, died June 15. He was 81.

“Buzz Hargrove was a giant in the Canadian labour movement,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “He never forgot where he came from – and he carried that working-class spirit with him into every boardroom, bargaining session and public forum. His passion, his intellect and his uncompromising belief in justice for working people shaped the labour movement we know today.”

Hargrove began his working life on the shop floor of Chrysler’s Windsor assembly plant making seat cushions and serving as a shop steward and rose through the ranks of the labour movement to succeed Bob White as union president in 1992.

He served in the role until 2008, and not without a large helping of controversy along the way.

Hargrove played a central role in the union’s historic break from the United Auto Workers in the U.S. in 1985 and the creation of an autonomous Canadian union and as president he led negotiations with major employers – including General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Air Canada, and CN Rail – to secure gains that elevated standards across sectors.

He also began advocating for ‘tactical voting’ in 1999 – marking the union’s first major break with the NDP. He helped get Prime Minister Paul Martin and NDP leader Jack Layton together in the spring of 2005 to get a budget approved but criticized Layton later that year and supported Conservative leader Stephen Harper and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Ducette in bringing down the Liberal government.

His actions sparked anger among many union members who would distribute ‘Buzz Off. I’m voting NDP’ buttons at rallies and Sid Ryan would blame his loss in Oshawa Riding in the subsequent 2006 election on Hargrove’s support of the Liberals.

He was elected to his final two-year term in 2006.

From his humble beginnings in Holmesville, New Brunswick, where he grew up as one of ten children in a modest home without central heating or running water, Hargrove carried forward a deep sense of fairness, solidarity, and justice that first took root in that small rural community. Those early lessons took him from the assembly line in Windsor to the national presidency of the Canadian Auto Workers, where his voice and vision left a lasting mark on the country.

The Celebration of Life opened with an address by Payne who reflected on the influence Hargrove continues to have on Canada’s labour movement.

“Buzz Hargrove believed in using the power of collective bargaining to change lives, and he changed lives. He also saw it as a tool to also advance equality. He believed in a better world, in social unionism and he knew exactly how our union could be a force for good. At the bargaining table, but also beyond it,” said Payne.

Buzz’s daughter, Laura Hargrove, shared a moving family tribute, offering heartfelt memories of her father not only as a public leader but as a devoted parent and grandfather.

Laura Hargrave

“Growing up with Dad was like living with a force of nature. He could stare down CEOs at the bargaining table but at home he was just Dad teaching us to read, lean in, stay active, be brave, work hard and care for others,” she said. “He loved life. He loved to sing. He would light up telling stories about his younger days. Those little things made him my Dad, not just a legend. I feel him in the values that he left me – to stand tall, fight hard and love fiercely.”

Jim O’Neil, former CAW National Secretary-Treasurer, spoke about their six-decade long friendship and the strength and leadership Buzz brought to difficult negotiations.

“Buzz understood fully that the union’s success in bargaining laid the structural and moral foundation for everything else the union does. Buzz said a union that doesn’t take risks, and push the envelope, is a union that fails its responsibility to challenge the status quo. Including our own status quo, right here within the labour movement.”

Hargrave’s political outreach was also remembered in a letter from former NDP Ontario Premier Bob Rae, read aloud at the service.

“Buzz’s key qualities were his candour and bluntness, his personal warmth, his sense of fun and humour, and his complete dedication to the well being of working people and their unions. He was a fighter in the best of ways,” wrote Rae.

A moving tribute video brought together the voices of Unifor’s elected leaders and those who had walked alongside Buzz throughout the movement, underscoring the depth of his influence.

In addition to those in Toronto, people watched virtually from across the country, including at a gathering at Local 444 in Windsor.

Former CAW National President Ken Lewenza closed the tributes by honouring Hargrave as a champion for workers, a mentor and a friend, and sharing his final conversation with him in hospital.

“I grabbed his hand and said Buzz I love you. You have contributed so much in your 60 years as a trade unionist. I was a benefactor of your hard work as were tens of thousand of workers from one end of the country to the other,” Lewenza said.

Payne expressed gratitude for the chance to share in her predecessor’s life and work.

“How lucky are we to have known Buzz Hargrove, to have been inspired by him, to have learned from him. His legacy cannot be denied. It lives on in this union.”

A committed social unionist, Hargrove pushed the CAW to fight not only for better wages and working conditions, but also for broader social justice issues, including public health care, retirement security, equity and fair trade, Payne said.

Hargrove, who was born in Bath, New Brunswick in 1944, received numerous honorary doctorates from Canadian universities and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2008. Following his retirement, he remained an active voice for labour, including as Director of The Centre for Labour Management Relations at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson).

He also co-authored the book Labour of Love: The Fight to Create a More Humane Canada with Wayne Skene in 1998.

Payne said Hargrove’s legacy will live on in the “foundation and spirit” of the union he helped shape, calling him a “tireless advocate for working people and a deeply respected leader whose impact will be felt for generations.”

“Buzz showed us what it means to fight with heart and with strategy,” she said. “He was never afraid to challenge the powerful, and he understood that real change requires both courage and collective strength. We owe him a debt of gratitude for everything he did to build a fairer Canada.”