Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King has removed one of his MLAs from all legislative standing committees following comments he’d made about female paramedics.
“Not to be sexist or anything like that, is there a stronger recruitment towards males or females?” asked Progressive Conservative Summerside-Wilmot MLA Tyler DesRoches, while questioning the director of operations for Medavie Health Services, Darcy Clinton.
The questioning occurred during a meeting of the health and social development committee. Medavie operates the ambulance service for the province.
“I just notice a lot more females in the profession now and we get a lot of calls for lift assist because — don’t get me wrong, they’re great, some of the women that are doing it are unbelievable — but I went to a lift assist the other day because both the females that were working the bus were 105 pounds and the man was 300 pounds and there was no way they were going to get him up,” said DesRoches.
DesRoches is also a volunteer firefighter and medical first responder.
On Thursday, King said DesRoches’ comments were “inappropriate, wrong and won’t be tolerated” in a statement, according to CBC News.
Desroches posted an apology on his Facebook page, stating that he “wholeheartedly” regretted making the comments.
“My statement today was insensitive, inappropriate, and wrong; to all Prince Edward Islanders, I’m sorry,” wrote DesRoches. “I fully understand that someone’s gender should never be a determining factor when evaluating someone’s knowledge, skills and abilities to do their work.”
King said that while he appreciated DesRoches’ apology, the people of P.E.I. are entitled to have elected officials who lead by example.
“The MLA has committed to me to doing better and taking the necessary steps to educate himself. As he undertakes this process, I have informed him that I am removing him as a member of all standing committees indefinitely,” said King.
“Our government is committed to advancing gender equity and this has proven that we still have more work to do. Over the last four years, we have also worked hard to foster a positive relationship with paramedics in Prince Edward Island; as a government, we respect the contributions all paramedics make to our health-care system and want them to know they are valued partners.”
The P.E.I. Paramedics Association released a statement on Thursday morning calling DesRoches’ comments “misguided and misogynist.”
“Women in EMS are just as dedicated, capable and resilient as their male counterparts,” reads the statement, which was signed by president Tyler Graves. “Gender should never be a determining factor in one’s ability to excel in this critical profession.”
“The use of additional resources during difficult lifts and extractions is always recommended regardless of the paramedics attending,” the statement continued.
