Dr. Bob Barnetson's Compensation Of Injury In Canada

1. Why did the state begin regulating the compensation of injury at the beginning of the 20th century? “Leaving safety to employers doesn’t usually work out very well for workers-they keep having these “accidents””(The political economy of workplace injury in Canada, Dr. Bob Barnetson, Ch.2 p.33). The state began to regulate the workers compensation system in order to balance the power between workers and employer, as well as to limit the financial, political and economic effect of injuries. When the worker is a subject of work related injury and not capable of performing his work, “he cannot earn a living and thus lose their houses and society has to pay for their medication”. (The political economy of workplace injury in Canada, Dr. Bob
According to dominant social norms and expectations of the time, men were considered the ‘breadwinners’ while women’s main role was to take care of the household. Surprisingly, this ideology was neither questioned nor challenged in Meredith’s Royal Commission proceeding nor in his final report . As noted by Storey (ibid), compared to men, women were not considered as valuable a part of the workforce and their work-related accidents, injuries and illnesses were not even considered to be of minor concern. “Worker’s Compensation did not take women into account in their roles as wives and members of the household” (From Invisibility to Equality Women Workers and the Gendering of Workers’ compensation in Ontario, 1900-2005, p.86) because the home was assumed to be their role and place in
Consistent with this rationale, in his draft bill of Workmen’s compensation it was also noted that “…husbands of women workers killed on the job were to receive benefits only if it was determined that they were “invalids” or “physically or mentally incapable of earning.” (From Invisibility to Equality Women Workers and the Gendering of Workers’ compensation in Ontario, 1900-2005,