China Or Canada. Human Rights Abuse Has No Borders

This may be a revelation, but, here is how the act really works. Government is responsible for and party to the legislation which empowers and permits the Nova Scotia Workers Compensation Board to exist and, in addition, the legislation (knowingly) provides the WCB with the tools to abuse its clients. The government enjoins the same benefits and protections as all other employers who pay into the fund. When governments employee is injured, poisoned or killed in a work related environment, the employer (in this instance government) gets the protection of the legislation authored and made law by the employer. Some might find it surprising that those unions who employee staff or field workers also come under the protection of this nefarious scheme as well. So, what do we have here? We have three (separate and independent?) entities all working together toward a similar goal, and that purpose is to avoid being sued by an injured employee. Two of the three parties are sitting in a direct conflict of interest. Government has taken on the duties of the fox guarding the chicken house while, at the same time, taking a free lunch from those injured employees it chooses not to support under the aegis of the Workers Compensation Board. You must be well aware; too, Minister Morash that the employer is part of the decision process in ascertaining whether or not their injured employee receives benefits. I have many letters showing instances where the employer has fought adamantly against their injured employee receiving benefits and I can cite similar circumstances where government (as the employer) has done the same. Similarly, unions sit on the Board of the WCB, unionize the staff and, all the while have the same protections afforded under the act, should any union employee become injured while carrying out duties on behalf of ( the union employer) and receiving a paycheck from the union or union local. Local 55 has drafted for itself one of the best labour agreements to that end as you are, I’m sure, well aware. I had the dubious pleasure not long ago, of listening to several audio tapes of the round table discussion between all of the stakeholders, and I almost became physically ill from my exposure to the copious amounts of BS that was being slung around. The only person who came even close to addressing the WCB abuse was Mr. Selig, when he dressed down WCB chair, Louie Comeau, and told him what he thought about him. In addition, taxpayer dollars are being used once again to silence those groups that were there, ostensibly, to take the government and its handmaiden (the WCB) to task for their flagrant abuse of injured workers. Government, in its largesse, funds these groups (who started out with good intentions) as a method of buying their silence. Plain and simple, these groups are given enough of a cash incentive to corrupt their ideals and put them in the position of not wanting to bite the proverbial hand. The result is the group goes through the motions of chastising the main perpetrators but accomplishing absolutely nothing on behalf of injured workers. I know that. You know that, because that’s the way things have always been done in Nova Scotia. Subtle, but effective control. If it were in the interest of those in government, to turn this situation around, we could depend that it would be done, post haste. The abuse is allowed (if not tacitly encouraged ) to prevail and injured workers continue to lose their homes and have their families split apart or, are forced to pay the ultimate price by committing suicide and ending lives that have had their future taken away by a ruthless and uncaring system. This criminal abuse will end when the people of this province realize how their government and its agencies have been manipulating them to further its own ends. The day is fast approaching when a public that has had its fill of the way government has lied, manipulated and otherwise abused the process will be called to answer for itself. I fully intend to be there to lead in making sure the abuse ends, once and for all. As I told you in my earlier email, which I must apologize for because it was done in haste, I had a letter from Carman McCormick of Stewart McKelvey Stirling Scales. This letter clearly indicated to me that no matter where Marie Fortune was injured or, if a hospital mistreats or should misdiagnosis an injured worker, the injured worker cannot sue that hospital. The reasoning behind this is, now gets this: because the hospital pays into the WCB fund. Now that’s good protection for the injured worker, isn’t it? I call that hypocritical, prejudicial and anything but fair to the worker unfortunate enough to be in this position and thinking they are protected. Carman was so kind to even point out the section of the Act (section 28.1). Now, Mr. Minister, could this explain why injured workers are treated so poorly by companies who do physiotherapy contract work for the Board? Is this why doctors who are employed by the WCB “Medical Board” treat injured workers so much differently than they do their other patients? Could this mean that the injured worker who has to go to hospital because of his / her injuries could die at the hand of an unqualified, overworked/overtired physician and there is totally no recourse for the victim’s family? Is this simply a scenario where that physician’s mistake is easily buried with the dead body? Like I have said many time before to you and the former Ministers of Labour, Sections 167 gives permission to this Board and staff to exercise and abuse power without any thought of censure or retribution, because injured workers have no rights. They have been compromised and subjected to the manipulations of a government and its agencies whose soul purpose, it appears, is to aggressively control claimants by denying them or intimidating them until they either go away or kill themselves. Section 195 affords like protection to all in the medical profession and health services companies who attend to WCB injured clients. Now, I learn that section 28.1 confirms the right to abuse injured clients or patients, because employers pay into the fund. Top that off with section 270 and we have a real witch’s brew for the abuse of power, abuse of trust and the real potential to drive an injured worker to his / her death. That is something I would not want on my conscience, but then again who said government, business, lawyers and unions had to have a conscience? Time and again, they have certainly demonstrated their collective ability to do all of the above, and worse, without compunction. You can take this to the bank. I was abused by the WCB system to the point where I lost my credit, property, and a job. I almost lost my family. They (the WCB) made sure that I would not receive any financial help and they made every effort to insure that they would do their best to destroy me as a person. Well, I’ve proven they cannot take my pride and they will never break me as a person. What is taking place here, goes against the Human Rights Act and the Charter. It is farcical that this country and province is so quick to look towards China when talking about human rights abuse- especially, when one examines how well it is practiced right here at home. Ministers come and Ministers go, but your failure to correct this abusive law and practices, will be what I will remember you and your party for. Some legacy, I do look forward to your reply and it would be appreciated to hear from all I have sent a copy to. Respectfully Wayne Coady CC: B E I C Provincial and Federal Human Rights Commissioners Canadian Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler Members of Parliament and the Canadian Senate Canadian Press President: Eric Morrison Chairman of Nova Scotia Workers Compensation Board and Directors Wayne Coady 21 Ashgrove Ave Dartmouth Nova Scotia (902) 434 9306