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“He doesn’t own anybody,” he says of the man. “You don’t need to be intimidated by that man. He doesn’t own us. Nobody owns us.”

“You have a family at home too,” Da Silva is then heard shouting at the man, who is seen on the video in a different-coloured vest to the others on the site. “You have a responsibility!” The man can be heard responding: “Can we talk?”

Much of what follows is not perfectly audible, but it appears the two are speaking about an incident in which Da Silva was forced to leave an office space, which the man says was closed. Da Silva claims the man was afraid to let workers in, because he was “scared.”

“Where’s the washing facilities for these men? They’re not here. You have it by your trailer. You wanna protect yourself, not these men.”

The workers then applaud Da Silva, and he says: “You guys hear it? You guys do what you want, my friends.”

In an emailed statement to the National Post Thursday, Joseph Mancinelli, regional manager of central and eastern Canada with LiUNA International Union of North America, said the union agrees with Da Silva’s outburst, give or take a few swear words.

“As construction is deemed essential, then it is essential that all job- sites be safe for all workers,” the statement reads.

“Despite the use of strong language- LiUNA stands by Jack Da Silva’s comments, he a passionate and proud LiUNA Local 183 Business Rep who stood up and expressed the fear and concern that most of the industry is currently facing. One of his primary roles as a Business Representative is to ensure that health and safety protocols are not compromised and are strictly enforced on the job-site. He did his job, and he did it well.”