Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my party in respect of working people in Canada and around the world to mark the international day of mourning for workers who have been killed at work or suffered work related accidents and illnesses.
Over one million work related deaths occur annually, while hundreds of millions of workers suffer from workplace accidents and occupational exposure to hazardous substances worldwide.
In Canada, a thousand workers are killed on the job annually and close to one million will suffer some form of injury or illness. Many members of our federal public service still remain without even basic workplace health and safety protection.
On this national day of mourning, the NDP joins with workers and their families nationwide in urging the government and members of the House to stand up for working people and put an end to workplace tragedies.