Several ambulance employers in Quebec are appealing to the Administrative Labour Tribunal to compel striking paramedics to agree to supervise interns. Paramedics who are members of three major labour unions in Quebec are refusing to supervise trainees as a means of strike pressure targeting essential services. They are members of unions affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux, the Fraternité du préhospitalier du Québec and the Travailleurs ambulanciers syndiqués de Beauce. The employers seeking court intervention are Urgences-Santé, Dessercom, Paraxion, Demers and others. In their petitions, ambulance employers argue that there is already a shortage of staff in the sector and a high rate of absenteeism. However, of the 413 third-year students enrolled in pre-hospital emergency care at 13 educational institutions in Quebec, only 61 have found internships. Without an internship, 352 aspiring paramedic technicians may not graduate at the end of the school year and won’t be able to enter the job market this summer, the employers argue. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 27, 2026.
