Injury meets insult
This editorial ran in the St. John’s Telegram: It was a short but colourful legal action. Last week, the National Post reported that Newfoundland Sen. Fabian Manning was suing the House of Commons, the Canadian government and the federal Public Works Department after a slip-and-fall in the cafeteria in the House of Commons Centre Block two years ago.
Here’s part of the Post’s story: “according to the lawsuit, the 53-year-old Newfoundland senator suffered from post-concussion syndrome and soft-tissue injuries to his neck, back, left shoulder and left hip. It claims he’s had impaired cognitive functions, chronic headaches and disturbed sleep, and was prescribed ‘various medicines and assistive devices.’ The suit seeks $250,000, plus damages.” Included in that was $50,000 for Manning’s wife, to cover things like “loss of companionship.”
The Post story also pointed out that the injured Manning was in the Senate the very next day after his fall, voting and tabling a Senate report.
Now, if Manning had suffered such extensive injuries, he should have a right to receive compensation.
But instead of taking his employer to court, he might have tried another route, if for no other reason than to learn about how the other half lives. Maybe, if he wanted to spend a few months wearing the shoes of an ordinary employee, instead of suing his employer, Manning might have tried to go through the workers’ compensation process.
After all, Ontario’s compensation system, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, argues that, “the WSIB will consider entitlement in claims where a worker is injured when … on a lunch, break, or other non-work period (period of leisure) by ordinary hazards of the employer’s premises.”
The misunderstanding had quickly turned into a political embarrassment, especially after a former Canadian sniper posted on social media that $250,000 was roughly what the federal government paid him for the loss of both his legs.
Manning says he has now told his lawyer to withdraw the lawsuit. Still, that’s got to leave a mark.