Organizers outraged election overshadowed National Day of Mourning

Organizers for a local ceremony honouring Canada’s National Day of Mourning question why the federal election had to land on the same day.

For over 40 years, April 28 has been marked as a National Day of Mourning to honour those who have died, were injured or suffered illness in the workplace.

The day was enshrined in national legislation in February 1991, by an Act of Parliament.

The Niagara Regional Labour Council hosted ten ceremonies Monday to mark the National Day of Mourning to remember those who lost their lives on the job, or suffered injuries or illness on the job.

According to Lou Ann Binning, president of the labour council, the council reached out to the federal government about their attendance at these events and received no response.

“Shame on them,” Binning said, “Shame on the politicians who decided to hold the election today.”

“We were fully expecting to see them out. Yes, we know today is the election, but I think they could have given up 15 minutes out of their day to attend at least one of our ceremonies,” said Binning.

Binning says this move will adversely affect future relations with the federal government, no matter who ends up in power.

The National Regional Labour Council is also disappointed in what they see as injured workers being excluded as an election issue.

“We would like to hear more from our parties about what they are doing for injured workers,” said Joel Luska, vice-president of the Niagara Regional Labour Council. “[It] should be on the minds of votes and workers today.”

“We’ve seen a lot more emphasis on psychological health and safety and psycho-social health and safety in the workplace,” said Anne Tennier, president and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).

According to the CCOHS, the University of Regina released a report last week with startling numbers.

There were over 1,000 workplace fatalities recorded across Canada in 2023.

Of those fatalities, 29 were of ages between 15 and 24 years old, and lost time workplace injuries totaled 274,000.

“While we have made progress, there still is a lot of work to do,” said Tennier.

The Hamilton and District Labour Council held a ceremony at Hamilton City Hall Monday, followed by a procession to the injured workers monument at the corner of Bay and Main Streets.

The CCOHS are reminding Canadians to archive workplace safety by ensuring employers and their health and safety committees are active and doing proper risk assessments.

WATCH MORE: Non-profit’s clean-up campaign collects an abundance of trash across Canada