Industry, workers gather to commemorate National Day of Mourning
Across the country, workers, employers and organizations gather on April 28 to pay tribute to the National Day of Mourning.
Held annually, the day commemorates those who died, were injured or fell ill due to conditions in their workplaces. It is an occasion to mourn the dead and fight for the living.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a harsh light on workplace safety since March 2020. The virus and its variants have spread quickly among essential workers—not only in health care settings but also in factories, warehouses, schools, offices, transportation and other sectors.
The virus and its variants have laid bare a troubling lack of protection for workers, says the Canada Labour Congress (CLC).
“Every year on the Day of Mourning, we mourn the dead and re-commit to fighting for the living,” said CLC president Hassan Yussuff. “Over the last year, we have witnessed how vulnerable we all are. This pandemic has shone a light on egregious gaps in workplace protections and exposed employers who choose to put profits over people.”
The organization is throwing its weight behind the campaign to ensure all essential workers have access to paid sick days so that they don’t lose income or lose their jobs due to the pandemic, or the need to get vaccinated.
The CLC says an estimated 58 percent of Canadian workers don’t have access to paid sick leave through their employers. That number rises to 70 percent among people making less than $25,000 a year.
“Over the past year, Canadian workers have kept food on our tables, essential goods in our cupboards, taught our children, cared for our loved ones and kept critical institutions running,” said Yussuff. “They have done all of this, at serious risk and sometimes great cost to their own health and safety. The failure of governments to prioritize paid sick leave for workers in all jurisdictions puts everyone at risk, and is undoubtedly prolonging and deepening the impacts of the pandemic.”
The most recent data from the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada shows that in 2019, 925 workplace fatalities were recorded in Canada. This is a small decrease from the previous year. The fatalities were mostly (95 percent) male workers, and included 29 workers aged 15–24.
There were also 271,806 accepted claims (an increase from 264,438 the previous year) for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease, including 33,615 from workers aged 15-24. As these statistics include only what is reported and accepted by the compensation boards, the total number of workers impacted is likely greater.
“One death is one too many. It's for this reason we look to strengthening our resolve to create safe workplaces and protect workers,” said Anne Tennier, president and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. “Behind every workplace death and injury are family members, friends, co-workers and loved ones whose lives are deeply impacted and changed forever.”
Ceremonies again held online
Several Ontario organizations led online National Day of Mourning ceremonies, including the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). The board used the occasion to call attention to the need to make health and safety guidelines clear for everyone.
A recent poll conducted by Leger on behalf of the WSIB revealed that 58 percent of Ontarians say the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on their awareness of health and safety in the workplace. That number jumps to 75 percent for respondents who identified as being actively in the workforce.
"The need to protect people at work did not begin with the onset of this pandemic, and it will not cease once it ends," said WSIB acting president and CEO Tom Bell. "We must use this heightened awareness to continue to act as ambassadors for health and safety and do everything we can to prevent senseless workplace tragedies from happening to anyone."
While the pandemic has led to heightened awareness of health and safety, the Leger poll also revealed that most Ontarians are unaware of how many workplace fatalities occur in Ontario each year. Approximately 50 percent of Ontarians underestimated the number of workplace fatalities that occur on average each year, and another 25 percent were unsure.
In 2020, 245 people in Ontario died because of work-related injuries or illness, and 28 of these deaths were caused by COVID-19. In December alone, accidents on construction workplaces in London, Toronto and Oshawa led to the deaths of five workers. And in the days leading up to the National Day of Mourning, four further workplace fatalities were recorded in separate incidents in Toronto, Mississauga, Peel and Burlington. Two of those cases involved the deaths of bystanders.
In Ottawa, the Ottawa and District Labour Council held its annual National Day of Mourning ceremonies online. The group normally meets in Vincent Massey Park. Among the speakers was Sean Strickland, president of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, who called for governments to commit to paid sick days for workers, and for rapid COVID-19 testing and vaccine deployment across essential workforces and in community hot spots.
The National Day of Mourning, which is also known as Workers’ Memorial Day, is officially recognized in nearly 100 countries worldwide. In Canada, flags on Parliament Hill and Queen’s Park fly at half-mast. Ceremonies and a moment of silence are held across the country to honour those who died, were injured or suffered illnesses in the workplace.