Todd Doherty, Member of Parliament for Cariboo-Prince George and Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, released the following statement following the tabling of his Private Member’s Bill C-321, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (assaults against health care professionals and first responders) in the House of Commons:

Nurses, paramedics, firefighters, and other frontline staff are the heroes who keep our communities healthy and safe. They provide comfort and care to all of us in our time of need. But their workplaces are not the safe havens, we think they are. While providing essential care to our communities, our frontline heroes are assaulted, belittled, and are forced to confront a growing epidemic of violence.

We are failing them, and this must change.

Today, I introduced Bill C-321, An to Amend the Criminal Code (assaults against health care professionals and first responders) in the House of Commons as a first step in curbing the escalating violence.

This piece of legislation, if passed, will amend the Criminal Code to consider an assault against a nurse, paramedic, firefighter, or other frontline healthcare staff an aggravating circumstance during the sentencing of the perpetrator of the assault.

Violence should never be a part of the job description. Everyone has the right to a safe and respectful work environment. We need to work together, to ensure all nurses, paramedics, firefighters, and other frontline staff are safe at work.