Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. April 28 marks the International Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured as a result of workplace accidents or diseases. 

Yesterday the Auditor General revealed that 110 orders for noncompliance with occupational health and safety legislation were suspended during a period when three Albertans a week were dying from workplace-related injuries or accidents. To the Minister of Employment and Immigration: why did the government suspend 110 occupational health and safety orders at a time when three Albertans a week were dying on the job?

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the first things I have done as a new minister is that I invited the Auditor General to meet with me some two months ago and give me an overview of what his perception of the department is and what issues he perceives there to be. He has given me an oral report, exactly identical to the one that we have here in writing, giving me a two months’ head start on addressing some of these issues. As a matter of fact, I am proud to report to you that for the last two months I have been addressing any and all issues in this report, and I’m taking them very seriously.

Mr. MacDonald: Again, Mr. Speaker, to the same minister. If you’re going to address these issues, the first thing I would suggest you do is release the number and the list of all employers who have been allowed to cheat the occupational health and safety . . .

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. Well, I am glad that this member brought this question forward because one of the reviews that I’m doing right now is whether I am able to release not only the records of employers who are underperformers but all employers in Alberta so that Albertans can take a look and see how their place of employment is faring and whether they choose to work or not work for that particular employer. There are some complications relevant to getting accurate statistics, and there are some issues relevant to freedom of information legislation, but I am working through it right now. You will get an answer on it very shortly.

Mr. MacDonald: I appreciate that, hon. minister. Again to the same minister: why did the government allow those 63 employers to cheat our occupational health and safety laws for so long, when the death rate in this province at that time was 166 workers?

Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, I cannot give this member an accurate answer about what happened, but let me tell you about what will happen. As you may know, I spent a good part of my pre-elected life representing injured workers, so I take occupational health and safety very seriously. One thing that I will be doing is making sure that those who willingly choose to ignore the law will be dealt with appropriately.

[Continued]

Mr. MacDonald: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Last year the office of the Auditor General deferred an audit on workplace health and safety because this government limited the resources of the office. That happened during a year when 166 Albertans lost their lives as a result of injuries or disease. My first question is to the Minister of Employment and Immigration. How many lives would have been saved or how many injuries would have been prevented if the Auditor was allowed to do his real work last year instead of having to defer it for a year?

Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, again I have to thank this member for this question. Read the newspapers for the next few days, and you will be seeing that this department will be releasing ads advertising positions, hiring front-line workers to inspect places of employment.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. MacDonald: Thank you. That should have been done two years ago.

Again to the same minister. Of the 166 . . .

An Hon. Member: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mr. MacDonald: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you say. These are lives at stake here, hon. minister, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Of the 166 workplace fatalities recorded in 2008, how many were the responsibility of the 63 employers noted in the Auditor General’s report and allowed to cheat occupational health and safety laws?

Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, nobody is allowed to cheat. Let’s make that apparent. Those who are cheating or are perceived to be cheating will be dealt with accordingly.

I cannot release the number of casualties in those particular places of employment because, like I indicated earlier, at this point in time I cannot legally release the list, but I will be releasing the list the moment I find out that it is appropriate for me to do so. When I release it, I will make sure that it is an accurate list, so you will know, hon. member, who are the employers who follow the rules and who don’t follow the rules and why.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaking of following the rules, again to the same minister. Will the minister demand that the employers, the 63 employers who cheated on occupational health and safety laws and received grants, incredibly, from this government for their actions will have to repay the rebates that they were given from their WCB premiums? How is that fair?

Mr. Lukaszuk: Well, Mr. Speaker, another thank you to the member. Thank you for bringing up the premiums. What the member is I imagine referring to is the COR program. One of the things I have done, having met with the Auditor General two months ago, is that I’m having a thorough review of the COR program because the purpose of this program is to reward good performers and make them more competitive and punish poor performers to make sure that they are not competitive in the market, bidding for contracts against employers who actually follow the rules.

Alberta Hansard, April 15, 2010

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