Mr. Speaker, last month, I met with Sandi Mowat of the Manitoba Nurses Union to discuss the rising tide of violence against health care workers.
As an emergency room physician for 20 years, I would regularly be exposed to violence, even on two occasions having been assaulted myself. However, 61% of nurses reported abuse, harassment, or assault on the job over a one-year period, leading many to suffer from the effects of PTSD. From 2006 to 2015, there were nearly 17,000 violence-related lost-time claims for health care workers. In 2016, absenteeism for full-time nurses due to illness or injury cost Canada nearly $1 billion.
It is evident that there is a need for federal engagement on this issue, which is why I introduced a motion in the health committee to study and develop recommendations on actions that the federal government could take to improve violence prevention in health care.
I would like to thank Sandi for all her work as president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee to address this issue.