The Court identified matters in relation to labour to be within the exclusive competence of the province in the property and civil rights power under section 92(13) of the Constitution Act, 1867.

In a 4-1 decision by Ferguson J.A., the Ontario Court of Appeal held that the federal Act was constitutional, as it derived from the s. 91 powers relating to peace, order and good government, trade and commerce, and criminal law.

dissented, stating that the Act could not stand, as it did not deal with a case of: The Ontario decision was reversed on appeal to the Privy Council.

[2] In World War II, federal jurisdiction was restored under the Wartime Labour Relations Regulations, which lasted until 1947.

[3] In 1979, the Supreme Court of Canada, in Northern Telecom v. Communications Workers[4] summarized post-Snider jurisprudence into the following principles:[5]