• To work toward a just system of compensation, rehabilitation and re-employment in all provinces and territories of Canada.
• To provide a national forum for debating issues of concern to injured workers and their organizations at national conferences and at national board workshops (as funding allows).
• To gather and share information with groups and individuals across Canada.
• To improve the occupational health and safety of workers in Canada.
• To identify appropriate educational & training resources and to make these resources available upon request to provincial and local injured workers groups.
• To design all of our activities in such a way as to enhance the local and provincial/territorial base of the injured workers movement.
• To liaise with organizations that represent persons with disabilities and organizations that represent workers to achieve a common goal.

Local, Provincial, and Territorial Groups

CIWA continues to follow its mandate to work with injured workers and injured workers groups to form provincial and territorial organizations in all provinces and territories in Canada.

We know there are local injured workers groups in most provinces and territories. CIWA would like to assist these local groups to form one organization to represent injured workers, lobby governments and undertake activities on behalf of all injured workers in their province or territory. Strength in unity is the only way the voices of injured workers will be heard by government officials. Strength in unity is also the only way we will make changes to workers compensation systems that keep thousands of injured workers in poverty.

Workers compensation systems in all jurisdictions in Canada are broken; injured workers must join forces and forge partnerships to make changes. Injured workers united must work with community organizations, Labour partners and allies who not only see injustice, but are prepared to stand with us in the fight for change.

Local injured workers groups should not think that by forming a provincial or territorial organization, they will lose their autonomy – in fact the opposite is true. Forming a provincial body not only allows local injured workers groups to retain their autonomy, but it increases their ability to show local injured workers that their voices will be heard across the province or territory.

More than one million workplace injuries occur every year in Canada, and more than one thousand workers die because of workplace causes.

Being Part of CIWA

Each Provincial Injured Workers Group can select their own representative(s) to be appointed to the CIWA Governing Body and CIWA Board of Directors. Being part of CIWA means that the fight for respect and dignity for injured workers takes on a National perspective, as the issues in each province and territory are tragically similar.

CIWA will assist in the formation of Provincial and Territorial Injured Workers Organizations by providing resources and assistance in coordinating provincial meetings of Local Inured Workers Groups.