Workers' Memorial Day was started when two labour activists, Colin Lambert and Ray Sentes, were driving in early April 1983 to a union meeting, and were stopped by a funeral procession for a firefighter who had been killed in the line of duty.
Commemorating those who have been hurt or killed in the workplace shows respect for the fallen, while serving as a reminder of the importance of occupational health and safety.
The Canadian flag is flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on all federal government buildings, including on Parliament Hill.
The purpose of Day of Mourning is twofold- to remember and honour those lives lost or injured and to renew the commitment to improving health and safety in the workplace - to prevent further deaths, injuries and diseases from work.
[7] The BC Labour Heritage Centre maintains an interactive map recording all monuments and plaques dedicated to working-class people in British Columbia, over fifty sites of which are Day of Mourning specific.