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On Sunday, I joined families of three farm workers killed in a tragic accident on Highway 1 near Abbotsford.
The three women who lost their lives -- Sarabjit Kaur Sidhu, Amarjit Kaur Bal, Sukhwinder Kaur Punia -- were mothers, wives and sisters. On March 7, 2007, just before sunrise, they were killed while traveling to work.
The van they were in was completely inadequate. It should never have been on the road.
Something like this should never have happened in a province like British Columbia.
The deaths of Sidhu, Bal and Punia devastated their families. It shocked an entire community.
These women had been taken away far too soon.
Our workers and their families deserve the reassurance their loved ones are safe at work. And they deserve to know they are safe on their way to work.
The women who died in this crash and the other passengers in that van didn't have the safeguards they deserved. Now we must ensure they didn't lose their lives in vain.
Government's promises
After the public outcry over that horrible crash, the Government of British Columbia promised action. And in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, they did take a few steps. But the action is far from being complete.
In 2009, a coroner's report recommended significant measures to improve working conditions on B.C.'s farms as well as to improve farm vehicle safety.
The families who lost their loved ones and others who work in similar circumstances have been waiting for the report to be adopted fully.
Along with victims' families, organizations like the BC Federation of Labour and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives have been asking the BC Liberals to pay attention and take steps before another tragedy takes place.
But the BC Liberals have failed to heed the warnings and they've failed to follow through. And they have yet to enforce all of the recommendations made by the coroner's jury.
What Premier Clark should do
Today in B.C., we have a new premier-designate, who has said she'll put families first.
Poor working conditions and the lack of proper employment standards is an issue that impacts B.C.'s families directly.
That's why we call on incoming Premier Christy Clark to act.
She must listen to what these families have been calling for years. She must pay attention to what the coroner's jury recommended. And she must act on concerns raised by workers toiling under similar circumstances and their families across B.C.
One of the first steps Ms. Clark must take is to ensure the coroner's report is implemented immediately and in entirety, including:
Increasing roadside and on-site inspection of commercial vehicles; including 15-passenger vans, and;
Ensuring that inspection sites are separate from repair facilities.
Additionally, it's time the BC Liberals took steps to restore rights they stripped away from farm workers under B.C.'s Employment Standards Act.
Workers deserve more
B.C. farm workers are some of the hardest working British Columbians. They work from dawn to dusk. They help put food on our tables. And they deserve action now.
Every day that passes when this government doesn't act is another day our workers are put at risk.
And we simply can't have another growing season pass us by without implementing the required protections.
For far too long, farm workers have been treated like second-class citizens by this government. It's time for the BC Liberals to change that.
And it's incumbent on incoming Premier Christy Clark to act on this issue as a priority.
She must demonstrate through action -- not just words -- that the BC Liberals have finally learned; that they care for B.C.'s workers; that they will in fact put B.C.'s families first. ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
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