Mr. Speaker, today the leader of the New Democratic Party tabled a private member's bill to make corporate manslaughter a crime. I am proud to be a seconder of this bill.
Each year hundreds of Canadians are killed on the job and over one million are injured. On average, two Canadians are killed on the job every day. That is two families every day where a mother, father, spouse or a child does not come home.
Many of these deaths and injuries could and should be prevented but are not because of negligence by company managers who care more about profits than lives. Company managers who knowingly or negligently allow workers into unsafe conditions are criminals and should go to jail. The New Democratic Party bill will make sure that they can be charged.
The Liberal government still has not learned from the Westray disaster. Negligence by company managers caused the deaths of 26 miners in Westray but no charges were laid.
Safety, not profit, must come first in the workplace. The real possibility of criminal charges will finally force company officials to make safety the top priority.
I urge the Liberal government and all its members of the House to make the safety of Canadian workers their top priority.