The following statement was issued today by Dianne Whalen, Minister of Government Services. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I rise today to acknowledge April 28 as a National Day of Mourning. It is on this day each year that our thoughts are with the families of those workers who have been killed while on the job.

This day is recognized across Canada in all workplaces as a day to remember those workers who have been killed or injured in some way as a result of their employment. It is a solemn occasion, particularly due to the fact that workplace accidents and illnesses can be prevented when we take responsibility for health and safety.

While much has been accomplished over the years to greatly improve working conditions, there is still much left to be done. Workplace health and safety is an ongoing challenge. We must never let our guard down in our pursuit of safe and healthy workplaces where every employee returns home safely at the end of each shift.

We must all do our part to eliminate job-related deaths and injuries. Government, employers and employees all have a role to play in ensuring that Newfoundland and Labrador�s workplaces are safe and injury free. This can be accomplished if we all work together and make safety our priority.

As Minister of Government Services, I have responsibility for overseeing the Occupational Health and Safety Branch. I can assure this House and the people of the province that we have an extremely professional group of people dedicated to protecting the health and safety of workers in this province.

As a government, we also take our responsibility in this area very seriously. We will continue to foster the development of an environment where employees can go to work and know their safety is of utmost importance.

Today I laid a wreath on behalf of government at the Day of Mourning ceremony here in St. John=s.

I ask all members of this Honourable House to take a few moments today to reflect on the importance of our collective responsibilities in working together to make the workplaces in our province as safe as possible.

2005 04 28                                             2:40 p.m.