On April 28, Canadians observe the National Day of Mourning to honour workers who have lost their lives, been injured, or become ill due to workplace incidents. This day is a reminder of the importance of prioritizing health and safety in every workplace. It encourages reflection, remembrance, and engagement on our shared commitment to preventing future tragedies by creating safer working environments for all.
More than 1,000 workers die each year in Canada due to workplace injuries and occupational diseases. However, the true toll is far greater. Many incidents go unreported or are not acknowledged by compensation systems, leaving countless cases of work-related harm invisible and unaddressed.
Prevention starts in the workplace with empowered joint health and safety committees and worker representatives, committed employers, and competent supervisors.
Governments must also take stronger action through improved regulation and enforcement to ensure safe, healthy working conditions for all.
To date in 2025, Unifor mourns the loss of brother Peter Lecerf, 54, a DHL Alberta owner-operator, who tragically passed away following a motor vehicle accident on the job in Cochrane, Alberta. He succumbed to his injuries on January 10, 2025.
In addition, there have been other heartbreaking losses reported this year, including workplace deaths linked to personal medical events and accepted compensation claims related to occupational diseases.
Unifor honours the memory of all those we’ve lost by reaffirming our unwavering commitment to improving workplace health and safety. This means holding employers, regulators, and decision-makers accountable and ensuring that safety is not just a priority on paper, but a lived reality across every sector and in every workplace, from executive offices to job sites.
Unifor activists are driving real change, challenging the status quo to strengthen protections, enhance programs, and shift workplace priorities toward greater safety and well-being. This work is often met with resistance from employers who prioritize profits over people, but it is essential. Health and safety advocacy is not a side issue—it is core to our mission as a union and the foundation of protecting every worker.
Wherever you work in Canada, let’s take a moment to reflect and take one meaningful action to make our workplace safer today and into the future. From elevating training standards and proactively identifying hazards to offering support for mental health, together we can reduce workplace injuries and fatalities.