Oshawa MPP tables first bill
Proposed act would close loophole in workplace law
By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express
Oshawa’s representative at Queen’s Park has tabled her first private member’s bill.
Jennifer French introduced the Protecting Victims of Occupational Disease Act in the provincial legislature late last week, with its first reading already cleared through.
The proposed legislation, French says, would close a loophole that would restore benefits to those who have contracted a disease as a result of their work, or the spouse of someone who has died from said disease.
“It addresses a loophole in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act that has allowed spouses and victims of occupational disease to be denied loss of earning and survivor benefits. Really, it’s a technicality in the WHSIA and it creates a loophole that unfairly targets victims of occupational disease, so we put forward the solution to close it,” French tells The Oshawa Express. “We know it’s appalling that hundreds of Ontarians fall victim to occupational disease every year, but it’s even more appalling that we’re allowing them to get strangled by this loophole. This is really a case of, as far as I see it, of common decency.”
French says the Liberal government has acknowledged that this loophole exists in the past, but as of yet, hasn’t worked to fix it.
“Over the last four, five years, the government has consistently acknowledged this issue and has written letters back and forth to many different groups and individuals on this issue,” she says. “There have been four ministers of labour that have acknowledged this issue and they have said they would work toward a solution. So we thought we’d give them a solution.”
French adds that whether her bill gets passed or the Liberals co-opt it into their own bill down the road, she just wants to see the matter get fixed.
“It’s a simple fix. It’s a doable fix. I’m optimistic that whether they pass my bill or they co-opt it and make it their own, I don’t really…whatever, we’ll watch that unfold. That’s the politics side, but really this is a matter of principal, not politics,” she says. “It’s been a long time and the people affected are in their retirements or in their aging, so we want this fixed now. This is not a time to target people. This is not about the injury, this is insult to the injury. This is kicking them while they’re down, and that’s not what we do here.”