Health committee  About 90% of nurses are unionized, so they are not worried about themselves. They are worried about their patients, and that's why they gave us a mandate to work on a national pharmacare program. As a union negotiator, I remember the days of negotiating with an insurance company when we had to beg to have a smoking cessation program, but the plan couldn't afford it because of the usage.

Health committee  I think you'll have great experts to talk about the dollars and cents later on. Our point of view is that the money's already being spent, and the money's being spent by Canadians who cannot afford it. They either pay for their drugs or pay for their food. One in five families can't afford their drugs.

Health committee  Thank you, Chair. As mentioned, my name is Linda Silas and I'm the president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. As a nurse, I don't have to do what Angelique did and explain what we do. CFNU is the largest nursing organization in Canada. We represent over 250,000 unionized nurses and nursing students working everywhere, including in home care, long-term care, community care and acute care.

Justice committee  Personally, I think it's enhancing Bill C-3. Bill C-3 is only two years old. We have to do education on it. We've been working with the justice department on how we can promote it. It has to be talked about.

Justice committee  Poor staffing is to blame. We are short-staffed everywhere. Even before the pandemic, we didn't have enough staff in high-demand units. The patient-to-nurse ratio has to be improved. We need a ratio that keeps people safe.

Justice committee  I'll try to be very quick. The first campaign against violence in health care was done in 1991 by the British Columbia Nurses' Union with posters reading “No to Violence”. We've come a long way with regard to changing the Criminal Code. We've come a long way in trying to change the culture, and we still have a long way to go.

Justice committee  It's recognizing that there's a problem. It's a question of respect. You know, to change the Criminal Code, the first one with Bill C-3 and even the framework on PTSD, we had to talk to our own colleagues. They actually didn't believe that a sick patient or an angry patient should be charged or that a nurse should be calling the police.

Justice committee  Exactly—there are not enough services. We not only have to heal these health care workers; we also have to prevent. That's the biggest thing we have to do. We have to prevent. That's with safe staffing and with appropriate security mechanisms in all of our facilities—and community, Elizabeth.

Justice committee  Have you been in an ER lately, Mr. Garrison? You know, when you wait 18 hours or 12 hours and you're sick, you lose patience, so yes, of course there's more backlash.

Justice committee  The difference is that this bill captures first responders as well. First responders don't work in the same settings as health care workers. That's why we were fine with it. We met with people from MP Doherty's team. I'm having a hard time saying his name in French.

Justice committee  I should hope so. I'm from New Brunswick, but saying his name in French is a bit tough. During those meetings, we asked the same thing you're asking, Mr. Fortin, and we were all in agreement on that. This group of health workers is really different from other health care professionals.

Justice committee  They are, but those workers are saying that's not the case. Out of respect for their work, that's what we did.

Justice committee  I personally didn't bring it up, but Danette did talk about it. About 30% of workers' compensation claims deal with violence, and that's just for B.C. We see the same thing across the country. Numbers regarding violence and injury more than doubled in the last two years. Again, that's from B.C.

Justice committee  Just to clarify, are you referring to the change that was made through Bill C‑3?

Justice committee  Yes, I've heard of it. As I said, in September, we received a news release alerting us that a man driving a red truck had assaulted nurses and health care workers in Ottawa. That was the first time in history we had received such an alert. It was the only time we were ever informed of an incident like that.