They are making their way in. They are paramedics and dispatchers from all over Ontario, from Thunder Bay to Kingston to all over, making their way into the Legislative Assembly. Welcome to your House. Paramedics are very important to all of us.

You know, I hope as you do the round table with the paramedics, you are able to highlight some of the incredible investments that we’ve been able to do, working with our community paramedicine.

When we do 911 models of care where we ensure that patients voluntarily can be diverted to other places to get service in community, it is actually working directly with paramedics and paramedic organizations. When we do the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program, embedding individuals paid 100% by the province of Ontario to ensure that paramedics could get back out into community faster, it’s as a result of conversations that we have had with paramedics and their organizations.

We’ll continue to listen and respond to their input. We have done that since 2018. And I have to say that paramedics have stepped up every step of the way to ensure—

We have done a lot of work with community paramedicine. I have seen first-hand how it impacts our communities, particularly our seniors, who are staying at home and have more confidence because they have that community paramedicine program.

We’ll continue to do this work; we’ll continue to invest. Of course, we are a 50-50 per cent partner with our municipal partners and paramedic services, and we will continue to do that.

Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé. Today, paramedics and dispatchers from Thunder Bay to Kingston and all across our province have come to Queen’s Park to share with us legislators the challenges they are facing on the front line of emergency care here in Ontario.

All political parties are sending representatives, but a month after the invitations were sent, only one representative from Mr. Ford’s government is confirmed to attend. Will the minister accept the paramedics’ invitation and join them any time between 1 and 3 this afternoon right here at Queen’s Park?

The paramedics are not just bringing concerns from the front line; they have solutions to offer. They need the ears of decision-makers like yourself, the minister; like your parliamentary assistant; like your ADM for emergency services, who were all invited to attend.

Minister, paramedics want to know: Will you come today and listen to the concerns of the people who answer the call and help us often on the worst day of our life?

I’m just inviting everybody who would like to listen or talk to paramedics, they are in room 351 from 1 till 3 this afternoon. Everyone is welcome.