Ted Colley

Surrey will be the scene of a rally Saturday sparked by the tragic highway accident that claimed the lives of three Fraser Valley farm workers earlier this week.

A van carrying 17 people - the driver and South Asian women from Abbotsford going to work at Rainbow Greenhouses near Chilliwack - crashed on Highway 1 near the Sumas exit around 6:20 Wednesday morning. Three farm workers died at the scene and five more were injured.

The incident has the unions and the NDP accusing the Liberals of failing to protect farm workers in B.C. They say the government has reduced vehicle inspections and watered down employment standards legislation, putting farm workers in danger.

Transportation minister Kevin Falcon said that's untrue.

"There is a reduced number of (vehicle) inspections because we only go after those with a poor record. We're not wasting time on the ones that are no problem," Falcon said.

He said the number of accidents and fatalities in the transportation of farm workers has fallen "dramatically" since his government took power.

Between July 2003 and Wednesday's crash, four farm workers have died and 45 have been injured in road accidents while on their way to, or from, their jobs.

Falcon said if Wednesday's accident was the result of violations committed by the transportation contractor, they would be punished with "the full effect of the law."

Canadian Farmworkers' Union leader Charan Gill said Falcon's comments are typical of the Liberals' refusal to acknowledge their policies have put farm workers at risk. "Kevin doesn't listen to us. He listens to labour contractors and the farm owners. They listen only to one side. They should get off the political thing and think about people,' Gill said.

The rally is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ravi Banquet Hall on 128th Street in Surrey.