Care coming for first responders
The extent of Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty’s accomplishment can’t be understated. Bill C-211, his act requiring a national framework be developed to provide better assistance to first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, was passed by the Senate on Wednesday and is now the law of the land.
Private member’s bills, introduced to the House of Commons by members of Parliament, rarely become law because they are born without the blessing of the sitting government. Even private member’s bill proposed by a member of the government almost always fail. For a member of the opposition to propose a bill that wins approval is an even rarer feat and for an MP to do that in his rookie term is an incredible achievement.
Sadly, getting this bill passed was the easy part.
Starting today, the challenge is to bring together several federal ministries, the provincial governments and various health and first responder groups to deliver better and more effective diagnosis and treatment of PTSD for police officers, soldiers, firefighters, corrections officers, paramedics and others.
It will take time, it will cost money, politicians will meddle and bureaucrats will bicker about cost and responsibility.
Meanwhile, survival hangs in the balance for those suffering from this horrible condition.
PTSD has already claimed thousands of lives across Canada, particularly among first responders, and many thousands more continue to suffer from depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and other symptoms brought on by horrible workplace experiences.
Staff Sgt. Kent McNeill of the Prince George RCMP bravely stepped forward (something he has done throughout his career) to support Doherty’s bill and acknowledge his personal struggles with PTSD. Discovering the body of Cynthia Maas, working the case of a young couple brutally murdered in a gang war and extracting a confession from the accused in a shaken baby investigation damaged him.
The first responders like McNeill who spoke up and provided testimony to the House and Senate committees who studied the bill before they were passed deserve both congratulations and thanks for the efforts.
With the passage of Bill C-211, followed by its active implementation across the country, these brave individuals will have more resources to help them cope.
Some of that aid will come as the result of work done by dedicated researchers, like UNBC professor emeritus Ken Prkachin, who focussed his research on work-related trauma, focussing in particular on people in uniform, the exact individuals Doherty’s bill will help.
Congratulations should not only go to Doherty but to the MPs from all of the parties that spoke in support of Bill C-211. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government could easily have squashed the bill and then reintroduced its own legislation to take credit for taking action. Instead, the Liberals allowed the bill to go forward, recognizing that good ideas have nothing to do with politics or ideology and neither does PTSD.
Good laws make a difference in the lives of Canadians. Great laws save lives and that’s what Bill C-211 will do.
Help is on the way for the people we all refer to during times of crisis when we say “help is on the way.”