GATINEAU, QC, April 28,
2024 /CNW/ - Today, the Minister of
Labour, Seamus O'Regan Jr., issued the following statement
marking the National Day of Mourning:
"Everyone has the right to a safe, healthy and respectful
workplace. This is a widely shared belief in Canada, but it is not yet a lived reality.
Nearly one thousand people died from work-related incidents in
Canada in 2022. There were more
than 348,000 injuries on Canadian job sites that year. This is
tragic, it is unacceptable, and it is preventable. We've got to do
better.
We introduced 10 days of paid sick leave in 2022 for nearly 1
million federally regulated workers across Canada. That's a million workers who no longer
need to choose between paying the bills and going to work sick.
Last year, we raised the minimum age for hazardous work from 17 to
18 in all federally regulated private sector workplaces.
We led in the development of International Labour Organization
Convention 190 on eliminating violence and harassment at work. With
the Convention now in force in Canada, we want all workplaces free from fear
and intimidation. We were able to do this because unions fought for
it and employers have worked with us to get it done. We get a
lot more done for workers when we work together.
One thing I have learned in my time as Minister of Labour is
that Canada sets the bar when it
comes to workers' rights. When we raise that bar, countries around
the world follow. Our leadership matters.
Today, Canadians remember the workers we have failed in the
past. We remember the responsibility we all have - governments,
unions, industry – to keep every worker safe, healthy, and
respected on the job."
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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada