Statement by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair on the 21st anniversary of the Westray Mine disaster

Twenty-one years ago today, 26 miners went to work underground at the Westray Mine in Plymouth, Nova Scotia and never returned home to their families. My thoughts are with those families who were affected by this tragedy, in particular those still left without the justice they deserve.

Today, New Democrats honour the memory of those who lost their lives in this preventable workplace disaster. It is a solemn occasion for us all to reflect on what we learned that day – how poor oversight and disregarding worker safety can be a deadly combination.

Sadly, it is a lesson we seem to forget far too easily. In the two decades since Westray, there have been over 8,000 preventable workplace deaths in Canada – despite legislation designed to hold employers responsible for the safety of their workers. This law was passed after much hard work by Alexa McDonough and the NDP caucus, but it is simply not being enforced and there have so far been no successful prosecutions under it.

Last week in Bangladesh, we received another tragic reminder of what can happen when worker safety takes a backseat to the bottom line.

Canadians expect employers to be held accountable for endangering the lives of their workers. New Democrats understand this and will continue to fight to improve workplace health and safety in Canada and all over the world.