THUNDER BAY — Liberal leader Mark Carney’s choice to hold the federal election day on April 28 is not sitting well with a local advocate for workers who were killed or injured on the job.
That date is the National Day of Mourning for workers. Passed into law in 1991 by Parliament, it dates back to the early 1980s as an initiative by the Canadian Labour Congress as a way to pay tribute to workers who have died, become disabled or were otherwise hurt on the job, and to advocate for workplace health and safety.
It is not a legal holiday, rather a dedicated observance as a “day of mourning,” according to the 1991 legislation. Even so, Teddy Bobrowski, a longtime advocate for injured workers, as well as one himself, said the election shouldn’t be on a day that conflicts with a day with such a heavy history.
“I was actually blown away because how important that date is to me personally and I think to many, many Canadians,” he said of his initial reaction to learning election day and the Day of Mourning would fall on the same day.
“Not just Canadians,” he continued. “It's an internationally-recognized day and it's for the families to mourn the loss of workers that have been killed on the job.”
Newswatch has requested comment from the Liberal Party of Canada.
“I know we need to call an election,” Bobrowski said. “We're sort of up in the air in our politics right now and it's understandable, but there were other dates that he could have chosen — at least there must have been one other date he could have chosen and not such a significant date.”
A ceremony and gathering is held every year in Thunder Bay as part of national observances. Last year, 82 events across Canada were listed by the Canadian Labour Congress. Bobrowski said the election has altered local plans, including moving the time back an hour to 6 p.m. from 5 p.m.
“We're already dialing it back,” he said. “We don't know how many people are going to attend now because of the election.”
He said the local observance usually gets about 100 people.
“People go to work, they don't expect to get hurt, they don't expect to get sick, and they don't expect to not come home at the end of the day, right?” he said.
“But it happens, it happens here in Thunder Bay, it happens here in Ontario, it happens here in Canada, it happens around the world.”
