The recent introduction of legislation to end the strike by CUPE 873 was not an easy one to make. After many hours of non-stop debate in the Legislature, I felt it was important that I should explain why we were debating legislation to end the strike by the union representing BC Ambulance (BCAS) paramedics and dispatchers.

This legislation is about the safety of our paramedics and the residents of both urban and rural British Columbia. In the Lower Mainland, the number of ambulances out of service each month has jumped from 12 to 150. With the impact of H1N1, our health-care system now operates at full capacity and we cannot afford to have our ambulance service operating at less than peak effectiveness. Each day the strike continues, the risk to patients and paramedics increases.

This strike has prevented training for new paramedics, as well as forced the Justice Institute of B.C. to cancel paramedic courses. Since paramedic students are not able to ride along with paramedics during a strike, 350 trainees have been unable to complete a very important requirement of their practicum, delaying their education and entry into the workforce. Participation in medical research has also been impacted.

As long as the strike goes on, we will lose more paramedic students as well as the chance at developing new technologies to improve patient care.

The Opposition has asked to leave the ongoing situation for another six months, but we can no longer wait. Our paramedics are exhausted from working so much overtime, increasing health and safety risks to patients and to themselves. During the election, I was asked to interfere with the strike by a representative of the local union for the paramedics. I said no, believing that the collective bargaining process was in place.

After seven months of failed attempts to reach an agreement, and with no hope for a negotiated settlement in sight, it was time to act.

When a system is broken it needs to be fixed. The decision to legislate paramedics back to work is important for the health and safety of our rural paramedics and residents, because healthy people symbolize a healthy system for everyone in the Cariboo-Chilcotin as well as the entire province.