Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour Norm Bisaillon, 49, and Marc Methe, 34, two experienced drilling contractors who were killed Tuesday at First Nickel mine in Greater Sudbury.
On behalf of all members here, I offer our thoughts and prayers for these men, their families, and their colleagues.
As a former mining company worker, I know what these days are like back home. I had friends killed in the mining industry. Now my daughter and her generation mourn a friend who was killed. Generation to generation, it can be a dangerous job.
We are tough in the north. We persevere. Despite a splendid diversification of our region and economy, mining continues to define us.
One death is one too many. Sudbury has had three mining deaths in four weeks, and six deaths in less than three years. This is a call to action.
The local paper said it well this week:
It is understood that at a time like this, grieving and reflection takes precedence over all else.
And so it should.
But we surely must turn to why these tragedies keep occurring in our community and find ways—not words—to deal with them.