Canadian Agenda
ATU, NDP Renew Call for Enhanced Protection
At a press conference on November 13, ATU Canadian Council Director Robin West joined NDP Trade Critic and MP Peter Julian (Burnaby–New Westminster), along with NDP Transport Critic and MP Brian Masse (Windsor West) and a representative of the Canadian Auto Workers Union, to highlight the importance of a new Private Member’s Bill, C-473, tabled by Julian in the House of Commons earlier that day.
The bill, which follows Julian’s Motion M-358 from last spring, responds to a serious need for stiffer penalties for those who assault bus drivers and transit operators by establishing a separate offence in Canada’s Criminal Code that carries with it a maximum sentence of 20 years. This is similar to the separate offence for assaulting police officers.
Operators Assaulted Every Day
Unfortunately, Canadian transit workers have faced serious and increasing violence and assault in the workplace. The violence ranges from verbal abuse to spitting, sexual harassment and assault, and even deadly physical assault. Virtually every day bus drivers and public transit operators are assaulted in one of Canada’s urban centres.
Since January 2007 alone, one bus worker was shot, while another bus worker was so severely beaten that she has not been able to return to work four months later.
"Bus workers and transit operators deserve safety in the workplace," said ATU Canadian Director West, "Bill C-473 sends a clear message that Canadians will not tolerate attacks on these important public workers."
Aggression Increasing
"Statistics clearly show that the number of aggressions against public transportation workers is increasing," said Julian. "Canadians need to ensure that public transportation workers are safe as well as able to maintain the maximum safety for their passengers."
"Bus workers and transit operators are particularly vulnerable to aggression," said Masse, "and so far there has been no response at the federal level to the NDP’s call for increased protection for these workers."
In further support of the bill, almost 5,000 Canadians have already signed petitions stating that they want to see additional protections for bus drivers and transit operators. |
