EMS on NDP Convention Agenda

The Manitoba NDP Party will hold their 2007 Convention at the CanadInns Polo Park in Winnipeg on February 2 – 4. Much of the weekend will be spent debating resolutions intended to help shape NDP party position and actions for their future. It’s my understanding that a number of EMS based resolutions will be presented for deliberation. Of particular interest to me, and I expect all Manitoba paramedics, are proposals related to self-regulation and improvements in EMS service delivery.

Early in 2006, the Manitoba Young New Democrats (MYND) passed a resolution calling on the Government to create a provincial authority that would support consistent and provincially recognized standards of care. Later in the year, delegates at the Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL) Convention called on their organization to lobby Government to “ensure EMS becomes a provincial program that provides consistent, uniform, quality patient care on an equal basis for all Manitobans”. Both, I expect, sent a very clear message to Government regarding the need for improvements to our EMS system.

While the Paramedic Association of Manitoba is a non-partisan organization, I think it’s necessary that we support initiatives that promote excellence in pre-hospital emergency health care and within our profession. That, after all, is the very essence of who we are and why our association exists.

I anticipate receiving copies of the resolutions that will be presented at the NDP Convention sometime later this month. When I do I’ll post them for everyone’s consideration. I encourage paramedics who are affiliated with the NDP party, and especially those who may be attending their upcoming Convention, to ensure this government continues to receive a clear message indicating the need for system improvements and paramedic self-regulation.