A piece of legislation tabled in the House of Commons could serve as a deterrence to committing violent acts against emergency first responders.
Bill C-345 was tabled by New Westminster-Burnaby MP Peter Julian and seconded by Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Lisa Marie Barron. The local MP held a press conference Wednesday, June 28, at Nanaimo Fire Rescue Station No. 1, to talk about the proposed legislation.
The bill, if ratified, would bring more serious charges and stiffer penalties for anyone who assaults or threatens the safety of first responders, including firefighters and paramedics. The intention is to amend the Criminal Code so that the murder of a first responder automatically brings down a first-degree charge, and the bill also calls for increasing the maximum term of imprisonment for assaulting a first responder, and making the assault of a first responder a specific criminal offence.
The bill, which would provide firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians similar protections to peace officers under the Criminal Code, was given first reading in the House of Commons on June 19.
sa国际传媒淒uring the pandemic we all watched as firefighters, paramedics and first responders showed their unwavering commitment to the health of our community, risking their safety and well-being to be of service to Canadians,sa国际传媒� Barron said.
She said communities are now struggling from the impacts of toxic substance use, mental health and affordability crises, which first responders are also contending with. Representatives from Nanaimo Firefighters Association Local 905 met with her in Ottawa earlier this year and impressed upon her the need for all first responders to be protected in the face of increasing assault incidents.
sa国际传媒淯nfortunately, while serving our communities in endless ways, these same first responders also continue to see a striking increase in aggravated assaults against firefighters, paramedics and other first responders sa国际传媒� Itsa国际传媒檚 evident that theresa国际传媒檚 a problem when those who chose to serve in our communities sa国际传媒� many in volunteer capacities sa国际传媒� are being left without protectionssa国际传媒a国际传媒� Barron said. sa国际传媒淲hen assaults on first responders tragically happen, we need to make it clear the consequences match the seriousness of the crime.sa国际传媒�
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said Bill C-345 is the kind of legislation that should receive unanimous support in Parliament. He said crimes against first responders should be recognized as offences against the collective system of society that ensures citizenssa国际传媒� safety and well-being.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 one thing to engage in a criminal act, as between individuals or a business or whatever. It is a very different thing when you literally assault the community and the collective order and system of justice that is there to protect all of us, and so itsa国际传媒檚 absolutely right and proper,sa国际传媒� Krog said. sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檝e recognized before that peace officers sa国际传媒� are treated differently under the code and thatsa国际传媒檚 for that very reason. Itsa国际传媒檚 a right, good and just reason and society came to that conclusion a long time ago.sa国际传媒�
Geoff Whiting, Nanaimo Fire Rescue deputy chief, said firefighting is a dangerous job and firefighters are at higher risk than the general population for contracting multiple types of cancer, heart disease and potentially life-altering occupational stress injuries. Firefighters accept a certain level of risk to serve their community and the fire department does what it can to mitigate those ever-present risks.
sa国际传媒淭he key is making sure our people have the skills to de-escalate situations and recognize situations and remove themselves,sa国际传媒� Whiting said. sa国际传媒淪o we certainly support anything that addresses first responderssa国际传媒� safety.sa国际传媒�
Chad Porter, Nanaimo Firefighters Association Local 905 president, said aggravated assaults and other acts of violence against first responders are on the rise and all workers deserve to come to work and feel safe on the job. He said in the past year there has been a sa国际传媒渟tark changesa国际传媒� in the frequency of incidents where firefighters have had to remove themselves from incidents to protect their personal safety or wait for the RCMP to ensure emergency scenes are safe for first responders to move in. He said passing the bill will not be a sa国际传媒渕agic wandsa国际传媒� to solve societal issues, but will help build momentum toward a culture that ensures greater safety for first responders.
sa国际传媒淲e strongly urge all members in Parliament to support this bill and to strengthen one of the fundamental workerssa国际传媒� rights, which is a a safe workplace,sa国际传媒� Porter said.
Barron said she hopes that all MPs will sa国际传媒渟ign on to get this donesa国际传媒� when Parliament sits in the fall.
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chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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