Immigrants didn't come here to risk their kids' lives

I spoke to about more than 200 adults at the Yorkdale Adult Learning Centre in Toronto this week; it was my first time speaking to adult students. (I usually speak to high school or college students and adult workers.) I was struck by a few impressions:

• How recently they have immigrated; the average audience member has been in Canada about one year.
• How hard these new Canadians are working on their language and work skills so they can succeed.
• How grateful they were for my presentation - to a level I've never seem from other audiences.
• How the message of a parent wanting to protect a child spoke to them across all their life experiences from around the world.

One Yorkdale student, Irene Ubredi, immigrated from Nigera two years ago. She shared with me the story of how her husband was working in Nigeria when his employer, a major oil producer, suffered a workplace fatality and how her husband was sent back to work the next day with no changes to the procedures or equipment!

Irene's face lit up when I asked if she had children; with a four-year-old and one of the way, she was passionate about the lessons she was taking away from my presentation, We Miss David, and how it could enhance her kids' wellbeing in their future working lives.

A "better life" means a safer and healthier life as well as more prosperous

Very often people immigrate to Canada, or the U.S., for a better life specifically for their children. I think that's where the deep gratitude came from in that auditorium this week - when they heard that they, and their kids, have the right to say no to unsafe work, that they can call the government to report any incident, and other inherent rights in our system to keep them safe and healthy at work.

They didn't come to this nation to risk their children's lives; they immigrated to enhance the lives of their offspring, to give them opportunities they might never have had in their homeland.

Knowlege is power - power that's much needed by people facing language and literacy, cultural, socio-economic, educational and employment barriers in their adopted country. And I felt honoured to be giving these hardworking adult students even a small piece of that knowledge/power.

Are you a new immigrant and have a story to share about workplace safety or health conditions here or back home? If so, please post a comment in the space provided below. Let me help you find your voice in this country on these issues.