Senator Yussuff: Again, thank you for the supplementary question. I think the suit that firefighters use when fighting fires certainly is problematic in the context of how it protects them from fire, but it doesn’t protect them from carcinogens.

Of course, I’m sure we will develop better suits as time goes on, but in the meantime, we need to figure out how those suits can be decontaminated after a firefighter comes back from fighting a fire.

Again, while the bill does not spell out which minister will be responsible for taking this bill up should it become law, in my humble opinion, it will be both the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Health because there are two aspects to the bill. Both ministers will have to collaborate on how they will engage their colleagues at the provincial and territorial level to ensure some of the requirements of the bill are met, but equally to address some of the issues that you have raised. For instance, the Minister of Labour can certainly speak to his counterparts about the need to have uniformity across the country as to how firefighter cancers are treated in regard to the workers’ compensation systems.

At the same time, given the provincial health and safety laws address the safety of equipment that you use — and that is in the context of the suit that they use — there could be a uniformed approach as to how those suits could be decontaminated if equipment should exist that can do so in other jurisdictions.

It would be equally important for these two ministers to collaborate but, equally, to ensure every aspect that the bill attempts to address will be accomplished in the context of that collaboration, recognizing that the system across the country — which is a patchwork — will require provinces and territories wanting to change that. Hopefully, moral persuasion and political efforts can make a difference at the end of the day.

As you know, the men and women who go out to do this job don’t question it. They understand there is risk, as I did speaking to Craig’s family. What was very hard, I didn’t have an answer in regard to why the workers’ compensation system in Ontario is denying them benefits and why, at the time when it’s most needed in their family, they have to ponder what would happen should they not get that workers’ compensation.

For his two children and his wife, while he is receiving treatment, something should happen. I think it’s terrible. Firefighters, of course, as you know, recognize that what they are doing is dangerous. At the same time, they sign up for it. We, as a society, recognize we need firefighters. In the absence of them, who will show up to fight the fires and help us with these challenges?

Yet, within the law, there are challenges that these workers face. I do believe with this bill, should it pass in the Senate and become law, we can certainly accelerate the efforts of the federal government in playing a leading role in bringing all of the elements and provincial and territorial governments together to carry out the objective of the bill.

Thank you.