Doer Calls a Provincial Election

Premier Gary Doer put an end to speculation last evening by calling a provincial election that sees Manitobans go to the polls on Tuesday, May 22nd. I for one am looking forward to the next four weeks.

I suppose a downside to the election call is the fact that two bills in which the Paramedic Association of Manitoba had specific interest will most likely die on the order paper. Bill 22 was intended to establish memorials to honor fire fighters, peace officers and workers killed on the job. Bill 209 attempted to establish guidelines that would permit mandatory blood testing anytime someone lending aid to another person suffered a significant exposure to bodily fluids. But the fact that these bills will not proceed is not all bad. Regardless which party forms the next government, these issues have drawn attention and to a certain extent support on both sides. The opportunity should exist to have both reintroduced...and any necessary changes can be lobbied for ahead of time. That opens the door to a better outcome for paramedics in both areas.

One initiative that did not reach completion prior to the election call was the much anticipated approval for funding to establish a paramedic education program at Red River College. And that does concern me. The EMS network has expected Red River to be ready to begin PCP program delivery in September of this year, but because the provincial government dragged their heels on approval, that date cannot be met. The next window of opportunity for course commencement is January 2008. But unless Treasury Board procedure allows for consideration of matters when the legislature has been dissolved, and I doubt that it does, it may be unlikely that funding for any education initiatives will be dealt with until June at the very earliest. That could have a very negative impact on much needed paramedic resources, particularly in rural Manitoba.

But one benefit that an election campaign does bring with it is the opportunity to bring issues and concerns forward to all candidates, regardless of their status or accessibility in the previous government. Ex-ministers, back-benchers, up and coming MLAs and party leaders will all hit the campaign trail over the course of the next four weeks, and that provides paramedics across the province an excellent chance to ask them for their position on any number of issues. It allows each and every one of us to ask those seeking re-election to defend their actions over the past four years, and to tell us where they stand on issues that we hope to bring forth in the next four.

The Paramedic Association of Manitoba will be preparing statements and questions for all candidates. Funding, service delivery and education will be priorities as we challenge candidates from all parties for their position on matters related to emergency medical services and emergency health care. In a fashion very similar to the one PAM used during the last federal election, we will provide any candidate feedback we receive to our membership.

I encourage everyone involved in emergency medical service in this province to take advantage of the opportunity Premier Doer has given us to ask some very tough questions.