01 June 2010
Miller Speaks Out for Injured Workers
Text of speech delivered on Injured Workers' Day at Queen's Park

Welcome to Queen’s Park and thank you for the opportunity to speak on your behalf in the Legislature today. It’s a sad thing that you are here for the 27th time because this Legislature has failed you;

That workers still fear going to work because of injuries on the job and further injury by a system that fails to recognise your real needs and fails to treat you with the dignity and respect that you deserve.

A system that grinds you through, spits you out into low paying jobs that don’t recognise your skills, your experience and your former earning power.

A system that sends you directly to the poverty line.

It’s my privilege to present your petition in the Legislature this afternoon. Your petition that’s clear that workplace injuries should not result in the poverty line That we should have a workers’ compensation system, NOT an insurance system geared to protect an employer’s bottom line.

A compensation system that should not put an injured worker in severe financial difficulty, but a workers’ compensation system that should be there to help you through, to get you back to work that you will be proud to do, work that uses your skills, your experience and your true abilities.

You should not be afraid of what’s ahead when you get injured on the job; you should know that you will be helped, guided, trained and treated with respect.

You should be confident that your injuries, and that they happened at work, are recognised, and that you are not left feeling guilty because you went to work one day and your life changed - completely.

I stand with you today and commit to continue my efforts to change the WSIB system so that it is a system for you; a system that speaks to you, to your needs.

A true workers’ compensation system.

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Media Contact: Paul Miller (416) 325-0707

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