Proposed legislation paying tribute to fallen fire fighters, peace offices and other "workers" has paramedics across Manitoba incensed. The Manitoba EMS Discussion Board has pages of comments from EMS professionals across the province expressing disappointment and anger over the announcement and the perceived exclusion of paramedics...and rightfully so.
In August of last year, the Honourable Gord Mackintosh, then Minister of Justice, announced plans for a memorial on the legislative grounds to honor "police officers, fire fighters and paramedics" killed in the line of duty. The Paramedic Association of Manitoba wrote to the Minister and suggested a member of the paramedic community be included in the planning committee as they worked toward completion of this project. In December we received a call from the Premier's Chief of Staff, Mr. Michael Balagus, requesting I meet with him to discuss our request.
On December 14th I met with Mr. Balagus and was was given an overview of a very preliminary proposal for the memorial project. At that time, all that was known was that the government planned to dedicate a limited amount of space on the legislative grounds to house the memorials, and that whatever design these tributes took would have to meet strict criteria. He expressed concern that other interest groups might come forward also asking for memorial space, and that they would be unable to accommodate multiple requests. He also assured me that no government funds would be available to build and maintain the memorials...that would be the responsibility of the group or groups involved.
I indicated to Balagus that we would be prepared to be recognized as a component of the emergency services family on a single memorial if both fire and police were so inclined. He indicated that the fire fighters would not even consider such a concept...that they wanted a distinct memorial dedicated only to fire LODDs. Mr. Balagus then suggested we might want to consider partnering with other organizations, such as the Manitoba Federation of Labour or the Winnipeg Labour Congress, to participate in the process.
Although partnering with organizations that predominately represent non-professionals might be seen as some individuals as inappropriate, it seemed fiscally responsible, so I spoke with both the MFL and WLC. I suggested that we would be open to discussing options that would see paramedics killed in the line of duty honored in a group memorial. But I indicated to both parties, and also to the provincial government, that it would need to be done in a fashion that would ensure paramedics were recognized distinctly and as professionals...perhaps a separate plague on a larger memorial. The door was open to further discussions...and the government assured me that we would be involved in further consultation.
Well, unfortunately we were not included in any consultation or discussion with government officials leading up to last week's announcement. Not only were meetings obviously held without inviting our profession, but absolutely no mention of paramedics was made in the government press release or at the press conference. Numerous calls and emails to the Premier's Chief of Staff over the last couple of days have gone unanswered. And the comments made by UFFW President Alex Forrest have only served to fuel the displeasure of paramedics across the province. It's no wonder people are disappointed.
If I were a betting man I'd guess a provincial election call could come as soon as the end of this week. If that's the case, anyone candidate knocking on your door should be encouraged to give you his or her opinion on why paramedics don't deserve the same respect paid to fire fighters and peace officers in Manitoba.
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