Future paramedics in Quebec have found themselves caught in the crosshairs of an ongoing labour dispute as hundreds have had their graduation delayed. Their internships are being withheld because of a pressure tactic by the paramedics union. Eloi Landry says it’s been a disappointing and frustrating year. The College Ahuntsic student was supposed to start his internship last January, but it has been postponed. It’s the final step before graduation. “Three years of hard work, studying, taking classes, my life was turning around paramedic school,” he said. “Now, nothing is happening, I’m still waiting.” The paramedics collective agreement expired in 2023 and they began strike action last year, which is when internships were paused. Graduation for 217 students delayed, federation says According to the federation of CEGEPS, 217 students have had their graduation delayed as a result, and that number could grow. There are around 800 students currently enrolled in paramedic programs throughout the province. The CSN union, which represents 3,500 paramedics in Quebec, says it’s unfortunate that internships are affected, but it’s one of the only pressure tactics they can use. “Being an essential service, for the paramedics and the ambulances, we’re extremely limited on what we’re allowed to do for pressure tactics,” said CSN union representative Charles Duff Murdoch. “All of our pressure tactics are actually evaluated by a judge who is going to look at the impact that it’s going to have on the population and has to be accepted by them before we can put them into effect.” An agreement in principle was reached this summer but in the end it was rejected by more than 70 per cent of the paramedics affiliated with the CSN. The union has been calling for the same wage increases granted elsewhere in the public sector. “We’ve noticed in the last five years that the highest group of people leaving [the profession] are between two and five years worth of experience,” said Murdoch. “What that shows is that the working conditions are just not there, unfortunately, and the pay isn’t there either.” Paramedic wages in Quebec start at around $26 per hour and top out at around $40 per hour. Another College Ahuntsic student, Samuelle Crevier, worries what delayed graduation will mean for the profession in the long term, especially if the labour dispute drags on much longer. “When I end up doing my internship and eventually graduate, I’m scared that there’s just not going to be enough workers to be able to fulfill their needs,” she said. “Not to mention, the inevitable backlog of internships, once they resume.” In an email, Urgences-Santé spokesperson and operations chief Alexandre Sapone says they “understand that the current suspension of clinical placements may raise concerns among students regarding the continuation of their studies and their transition into the workforce. “Clinical placements are an important part of paramedic training and provide students with hands-on experience in the prehospital environment.” Sapone added: “We hope that students will be able to resume their clinical placements and complete their training under the best possible conditions. We continue to follow the situation closely and hope that a mutually acceptable agreement can be reached as soon as possible.” CTV News reached out to Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services for comment but did not hear back by publication time. In the meantime, Landry says the wait is tough but he knows whatever agreement is reached will affect him too, once he’s employed. He and Crevier hope negotiations will speed up, now that there’s a newly-elected government. “Unfortunately, they’re using us and, of course, I understand that,” Landry said, “but I think it’s time for the government to act and to put an end to this strike.”
