Farm Worker Exemptions from Labour Legislation (December 6)
Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s now exactly one year since two farm workers were electrocuted on the job east of Edmonton. No occupational health service, no fatality review has been done, nor were they done on the two other electrocutions in the past four years on farms.
The Fatality Review Board refused an appeal for a fatality review stating that, quote, it was not in the public interest. End quote.
To the agriculture minister: given that the Premier supported extending occupational health and safety standards to paid farm workers during her leadership campaign, when will the minister bring equal treatment of paid farm workers and save lives?
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mr. Berger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last March, I believe it was, the former minister struck a task force, a committee made up of 15 prominent Alberta farm and industry workers, who are currently going through a consultation process and will be bringing back recommendations to me by the end of the year.
Dr. Swann: Well, Mr. Speaker, we don’t need committees; we need action. This has been decades of scandalous mistreatment of paid farm workers.
To the Justice minister: how can you allow even one electrical death in four years without an investigation?
Mr. Olson: Mr. Speaker, Justice prosecutes. We don’t investigate.
Dr. Swann: Then to the Minister of Human Services: given that child labour in Alberta is completely unregulated in agriculture and that children are killed and injured each year working in the same industry, will the minister commit to legislation in Alberta related to child farm labour standards in 2012?
The Speaker: The hon. minister.
Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a tradition in this province of family farms and of families working on farms, and that’s one of the issues that makes it very difficult with respect to legislation. Legislation with respect to hiring outside workers would be an interesting piece, but with respect to the farm I think all of us who have any rural background know and understand that everybody on the farm pitches in to help.
Now, what’s really important is that we have a culture of safety in this province. Whether you’re on the farm or off the farm, whether you’re at the work site or anywhere else, people want to come home to their families safely. Regardless of where the work is being done, there needs to be a culture of safety, and there needs to be education to ensure that there is a culture of safety.
Alberta Hansard, December 6, 2011