Mr. Speaker, Farm Safety Week is being observed Canada wide from March 7 to 13. The 1996 theme is child safety.
The Farm Safety Association has announced that farm related fatalities were down by 21 per cent in 1995. Still, 19 people were killed on Ontario farms during the course of farm work. Of the 19 individuals killed, two were children under the age of 15.
A safety project last year promoted safety among rural children and their families. Parents were reminded that agriculture is the only industry where the home is also an industrial work site, thus placing farm children at an increased risk of injury. I have always lived on a farm and as the member representing the largely agricultural riding of Lambton-Middlesex I know how vitally important farm safety is.
My congratulations to the Farm Safety Association and the 100 agricultural commodity groups and others who have become partners in this very successful project.