Health committee  Yes.

Health committee  Again, this is a very difficult question. From a paramedic's perspective, we are always caught between the public safety and the health care models. We are absolutely, first and foremost, advocates for the patient we treat. I give you the scenario of somebody who may be impaired, who was at the scene and now wants to drive a vehicle.

Health committee  For the most part, it is a bystander or somebody who is nearby. There are many scenarios, but oftentimes it is a loved one of that individual. This is the first scenario. In the second scenario, it is a bystander who recognizes somebody is unconscious or unresponsive. This is the terminology we use.

Health committee  Absolutely.

Health committee  This is a tough question. I think there is absolutely a requirement that it become part of a communication strategy on a national basis, because this truly is an epidemic. The health community has recognized this, probably going back five years, at least. We are just catching up in terms of legislation and what we do.

Health committee  I think it has been noted previously that it's about half the emergency calls, and paramedics respond to probably about three million calls across this country. I don't have the number of overdose calls we attend to. That data isn't available, but as was noted before, half our calls are ones where people do not call for fear of an overdose offence.

Health committee  Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Pierre Poirier. I'm the executive director of the Paramedic Association of Canada. There are approximately 40,000 paramedics in this country, and we respond to almost three million calls annually. I want to note that there are different classifications or designations within the term “paramedic” that cover different scopes of practice, and that's an important detail that I'll refer to later.

Public Safety committee  Mr. Chair, I am going to speak in English because I will be better able to answer the question. I'd like to address it in three phases: the education, the recruitment, and then when an event happens, because I don't think we've spoken about that piece. On the education, I spoke earlier about the changes in the educational structure of how we teach and educate paramedics, la formation des paramedics.

Public Safety committee  Mr. Chair, I am sorry that I have not done any research on that subject. The Paramedic Association of Canada does not know the reasons for these suicides and does not have complete information about them. We lack data on this subject Canada-wide.

Public Safety committee  That was a group of 6,000 respondents.

Public Safety committee  Of our total community—

Public Safety committee  That is 40,000.

Public Safety committee  My apologies, but I'm not sure if I follow you. Our survey was of 6,000, with 30% who had contemplated suicide; and the number that we reported from last year, I think, was 14 suicides of paramedics. That was a separate data point. It wasn't related to the survey itself. I'm not sure if I'm answering your question, so my apologies.

Public Safety committee  I think that goes back to Mr. O'Toole's inquiry with respect to the fact that the incidence of suicide amongst paramedics is higher than the general population, so our assertion has been yes, it is related to mental illness. Is it directly related to PTSD? I cannot state that, but it is related to mental illness, yes.

Public Safety committee  First off, I appreciate the question, because going back to 1981 and the Canada Health Act, paramedics were not envisioned within health care from a national perspective. That's always been one of our long-term visions, I guess, that when you look at health care it will include the paramedic component, as in, right after that 911 phone call, when you start to touch the people who can provide the care, it should be considered within health care.