Every year on April 28 Canada recognizes those who have died or have suffered an injury or illness on the job as a part of the National Day of Mourning.
Around an average of 1,000 Canadians die every year due to a work-related injury or illness, and cancer remained a leading cause of death among the 1,081 workers who lost their lives in 2021, the latest year for which there is data. That is up from 921 the previous year.
According to the Association of Worker Compensation Boards of Canada, the leading cause of death among workers are neoplasms, tumours and other kinds of cancer contracted due to exposure to toxins at work.
The vast majority of those who died due to a work related injury or illness in the past year were men, who made up 1,009 of the 1,081 fatalities.
The number of lost time claims also rose in 2021, reaching 277,217 up by around 23,000 from the previous year. The vast majority of time off claims in 2021 were due to bodily injury or overexertion at work.
Flawed statistics and rising cases
Both the number of work-related deaths and injuries continue to rise, but United Steelworkers (USW) warns that the real numbers are likely higher than what is being reported.
A letter signed by USW’s Canadian executives reads:
“The statistics are flawed and incomplete. They represent the claims that are acknowledged and accepted by workers’ compensation boards – which are frequently disputed by health and safety and workers’ compensation activists, including in our own union. They do not include the many workers who are wrongly denied coverage by workers’ compensation, are not covered because of job classifications or the many unreported incidents.”
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) explained how it explained how it is important that workers are empowered, know their rights, and know the tools at their disposal to protect themselves at work, which is the focus of their campaign this year to promote the National Day of Mourning.
“Workers deserve to arrive home safely at the end of the workday. We expect employers to do their part to keep workers safe, by upholding health and safety standards in the workplace, and providing necessary equipment and training,” said Bea Bruske, President of the CLC. “But we want workers to feel supported in standing up for their hard-won health and safety rights. We want to ensure that workers are empowered, not just to push back in unsafe situations, but to take an active role in the process of keeping themselves and their co-workers safe.”
Canada’s largest private sector union, Unifor, in their public message on April 28 called on all Canadian regulators to enforce existing laws vigorously, up to and including the Criminal Code.
Mourn in April, celebrate in May
Every year, in the last week of April and the first week of May, the plight of workers is highlighted on two occasions. The first being to mourn the loss of those who have died or have been injured on the job on the National Day of Mourning on April 28, and in the second instance on May 1st (May Day) where the gains of the labour movement and workers around the world are celebrated.
Many important social gains that have been made over the past one hundred years have been thanks to unions fighting for those gains. Whether it be universal health care, paid time off, the weekend and much more, unions have been at the forefront of the struggle.
Unifor highlighted why it is important that unions continue to stand up for the rights of everyone in their May Day message:
“This past year has been particularly challenging for workers as central bankers and corporate profiteers in Canada and elsewhere have waged an open war on the working-class. Shamefully, they have blamed workers for rising inflation and the high cost of living, asserting that too many people are working and that worker wages are increasing too rapidly.”
Unions continue to be highly active in Canada, including the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which is currently engaged in the largest strike in Canadian history with over 155,000 federal employees who have been on the picket line since mid-April.
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
