Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to rise today to speak to Bill S-233, an act to amend the Criminal Code with respect to assault against persons who provide health services and first responders. At its core, Bill S-233 seeks to strengthen protections for the people who serve our communities every day, by requiring sentencing courts to treat as an aggravating factor in five assault-related offences against health care workers and first responders the fact that those offences are committed in the course of their duties.
I want to begin by thanking my colleague in the other place for bringing the bill forward, as well as the member for Cariboo—Prince George, who previously introduced a similar measure in the last Parliament. Their work has helped to ensure that this important issue remains squarely before us in the House of Commons. These initiatives give us an opportunity to speak about an issue that affects all Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
We are all impacted, because every day, Canadians depend at some point in our lives on the ability to call for help in an emergency situation and know that somebody will respond. Whether it is a firefighter, a paramedic, a police officer or a health care professional, these individuals are there for us in moments of crisis, vulnerability and fear. That is why the sponsor of the bill referred to health care workers and first responders as everyday heroes. I agree wholeheartedly. They show up, often at great personal risk, so the rest of us can be safe.
While speaking about the bill, I am thinking about a number of people in my hometown of Winnipeg. That includes the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service chief, Christian Schmidt, as well as the Winnipeg Police Service chief, Gene Bowers, and members of their teams. I am very proud to say that on my beer league hockey team, The Mermen, with whom I have played for many years, there are two individuals to whom I want to give a shout-out here in the House of Commons today: a firefighter, Brad Russell; and a police officer, Jay Murray, who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe in the city of Winnipeg.
I also think of my mother, who is a health care professional, a family doctor for many years who switched over the course of the past decade to helping people fighting addiction and mental health challenges. In the course of that line of work, things can be very challenging, and health care professionals also need protection that legislation of this kind can offer.
I want to emphasize that this issue should not and does not fall along partisan lines. The Minister of Justice made this clear during question period last fall when he stated his willingness to work across party lines to advance measures that protect first responders as quickly as possible. I believe that sentiment is widely shared in the House. Ultimately, the question before us is not whether we should act but how best to do so.
As members know, Bill S-233 proposes to address the issue by creating a new aggravating factor that would apply where the victim of certain assault-related offences against a health care worker or a first responder is engaged in the performance of their duties. The offences captured include uttering threats, assault, assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm, aggravated assault, and unlawfully causing bodily harm.
At the same time, it is important to situate Bill S-233 within the broader legislative context currently before Parliament.
The government has introduced Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act, which as of today is before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Bill C-14 also addresses violence against health care workers and first responders, but it does so through a broader and more comprehensive approach, in my view. Specifically, Bill C-14 would expand an existing aggravating factor in the Criminal Code, one that currently applies to offences committed against health care workers and personal care workers, to explicitly include first responders.
Importantly, this aggravating factor would apply to all Criminal Code offences, not only to a defined subset of assault-related offences. This distinction matters. Under Bill C-14, courts would be required to consider the aggravating factor of not only assaults but also of other serious forms of criminal conduct directed at frontline workers, including intimidation, criminal harassment or other offences that may arise in the course of their duties.
In other words, while Bill S-233 focuses on specific assault-based offences, Bill C-14 would ensure that protection would not depend on the technical classification of the offence but rather on the reality that a frontline worker was targeted while serving the public. Both bills share the same objective, which is to denounce violence against health care workers and first responders, and to ensure that sentencing reflects the seriousness of that conduct. The difference lies in scope and coherence.
I will leave to the committee a more detailed examination of the legal interaction between these two bills, including questions of overlap and statutory interpretation. However, I believe it is fair to say that Bill C-14 provides a clearer and more unified framework by embedding this protection within the general sentencing regime of the Criminal Code. Beyond the legislative mechanics, we must not lose sight of why this issue demands our attention, and I think the hon. colleagues who have spoken before me today have done a very good and sincere job of laying that out.
Following the introduction of Bill C-14, the Minister of Justice noted, “Good ideas don’t come from closed door meetings—they come from conversations with people on the ground.” That rings especially true here. Health care workers and first responders have been telling us consistently and urgently that violence has become an increasingly common part of their working reality. This is something I hear in Winnipeg, reflected back to me in conversations I have with stakeholders on an ongoing basis.
In November, here, the International Association of Fire Fighters held its Canadian legislative conference. Representing more than 350,000 firefighters and emergency medical workers across Canada and the United States, the IAFF has repeatedly called for stronger protections against threats and violence. According to a survey of its affiliates, 13% reported incidents of violence during responses to structure fires, and 40% reported violence during medical calls over a five-year period. These are deeply troubling figures.
Firefighters are not alone. In Ontario's Peel Region, data showed that paramedics reported an incident of violence every 18 hours, a physical assault every 36 hours and physical harm every nine days over a one-year period. Here in Ottawa, a survey of paramedics revealed that every respondent has experienced violence on the job. More than one-third face violence or threats monthly, and for more than one-fifth it is weekly. These are not isolated or regional anomalies; they reflect a national problem that deserves a national response.
How can we reasonably expect that these professionals will deliver urgent and often life-saving care if they must constantly fear for their own safety? The answer, of course, is that we cannot. Our justice system must send a clear and unequivocal message: Violence against those who respond to emergencies will not be tolerated. When seconds can mean the difference between life and death, our society cannot accept that those who rush toward danger are themselves targeted by criminal behaviour.
Denunciation matters, consistency matters, and clarity in the law matters. This is why I believe the work of the committee will be essential. It will allow parliamentarians to hear directly from frontline workers, legal experts and stakeholders, and to ensure that Parliament adopts the most effective tools available to address this problem.
In closing, I support the objective of better protecting health care workers and first responders. At the same time, I believe that Bill C-14 offers a broader and more comprehensive approach, one that ensures consistent protection across all Criminal Code offences and clearer guidance for our courts. Taken together, these efforts demonstrate Parliament's shared commitment to protecting those who serve our communities and to ensuring that our criminal justice system responds firmly, fairly and coherently when they are harmed. I look forward to the committee's study of this bill and to continuing this important work on behalf of the everyday heroes who protect us.
I am just thinking about a conversation I had, again with Winnipeg's fire and paramedic chief, a few months ago. They showed me a video of the training exercises Winnipeg police officers, paramedics and firefighters will go through for dealing with someone who is undergoing a meth psychosis. This is unfortunately a very common occurrence in our streets these days. One of the things we are seeing is that it takes a significant number of first responders, upwards of 12, 13 or 14, in order to deal just with one individual. While undergoing this psychosis, these individuals are unfortunately very dangerous and unpredictable, and they can even take on forms of superhuman strength whereby they are able to pose a much greater risk and threat to those who are trying to assist them. The essence of this legislation is critical, and I look forward to a continued debate and the ultimate passage, I hope, of Bill C-14.