Kent Rowley


Kent Rowley was a Canadian labour organizer.
Rowley was a vocal opponent of conscription during World War II and was held at an internment camp in Petawawa, Ontario along with, among others, former Mayor of Montreal Camillien Houde. In 1943, he became a union organizer when he was hired by the Textile Workers Union of America. Unhappy with the labour establishment and its close relationship with unions in the United States, he and fellow organizer Madeleine Parent founded the Confederation of Canadian Unions in 1969. A biography of Rowley was written by Rick Salutin and published in 1980.
Rowley was married to Parent from 1953 until his death in 1978.