Mr. Speaker, today is the National Day of Mourning for persons killed or injured in the workplace.
Last year in Ontario, 378 workers died and over 333,000 claimed compensation for work related injuries.
To mark this occasion, the Canadian flag is being flown at half-mast on the Peace Tower in Ottawa and on all Government of Canada buildings across Canada.
It is a shame that the secretly commissioned report by the Conservative government would abolish the half-masting of the flag on this special day. The half-masting of the national flag is an honour and expresses a collective sense of sorrow shared by all Canadians.
We all need a reminder to work harder to prevent these deaths and injuries and keep our workers safe. There is no greater symbol of this than the half-masting of our flag.
The National Day of Mourning for persons killed or injured in the workplace deserves this recognition.