Justice committee  Yes, exactly. If I may say, there's the moment I talked about of our being a health care worker on our day off. It is embedded in us to respond to situations we come across. If I'm in plain clothes and something happens, I'm going to do something. Now, for that person, is it fair to them?

Justice committee  Absolutely: Knowing that people care about us and are doing something to make our jobs better is what we need right now. A pot and a pan on a front step is great—I need someone to do something to make my job better. Right now, we're losing paramedics at an alarming rate, and nurses and other health care workers.

Justice committee  That is a very, very good question. Our right to refuse unsafe work has an extremely high threshold. Now, obviously we have the ability through 911 and flagged addresses...or whether it be the police notifying us that there are weapons involved. We will typically stage in those situations and not go there until police are there and clear the scene.

Justice committee  Again, I'm a data guy and a story guy. People get assaulted and they decide not to come to work tomorrow. I don't get lunch for 12 hours. I decide not to come to work tomorrow. There are so many stressors on a paramedic specifically that I can speak to that it is unfathomable why they decide to keep coming to work, honestly.

Justice committee  It's a recognition that we're putting ourselves in situations that normal people don't put themselves into. My back is turned to gang members when I'm walking into houses where there are weapons. I have people with needles and guns who are protecting themselves and they turn on me.

Justice committee  Thank you for your question. It is one tool in the tool box. We do have to work on reporting. We do not need to reinvent the wheel. We need to learn from better practice around the country and share information on what is working. Research is coming out of Peel. They are leaders in the industry as far as mental health research goes, and we need to learn from the chiefs and disseminate that information down to the front line.

Justice committee  With regard to reporting, he's the data guy. I'd say I'm the “bit more real” guy. We don't have time to fill out paperwork at work. Our guys are so tired and overtaxed by what they do every day, the last thing they want to do is fill out paperwork. Recently, the only time we've had people fill out paperwork is typically when they sought medical attention.

Justice committee  Definitely. In my lived experience, I've been called some of the nastiest things. I've been pushed. I've been shoved. But there's a big difference between me at six feet three, 250 pounds, versus another paramedic whose first day on the job.... My niece just started in the profession.

Justice committee  If I may, I think we have no faith in the system. To be respectful to the chair, when she was talking about whether we trust the courts to do this, the courts right now have an opportunity to charge people that punch me or kick me in the face, stab me. They don't. This adds a level of protection and a level of reasonability and puts something in law that says a first responder, paramedic, firefighter, will get their fair protection in the courts.

Justice committee  I appreciate that. Thanks very much. I think it's pretty simple from what I've been seeing in my career even prior to COVID and during COVID and afterwards. Society as a whole has lost a piece of kindness. We stopped being kind to each other. When I walk into someone's home, even just everyday Joe Blow's, there's a level of understanding and a lack of respect for the work we do.

Justice committee  I can ad lib.

Justice committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, committee, and fellow witnesses. I appreciate the opportunity to be here today to discuss Bill C-321. As stated before, I am Paul Hills, president of the Saskatoon Paramedics Association. I represent IAFF Local 3270. On behalf of over 27,000 paramedics and firefighters across Canada who belong to the IAFF, we strongly support Bill C-321.