Doctors calling on Canadian government to take action against abusive treatment
Dr. Alika Lafontaine in Grande Prairie, Alta., says he's been scratched, spit on, swung at and called a bad father at work.
The abuse, he says, comes from patients or their families, and sometimes random people on the internet, whose stress could be exacerbated by a health concern or the pandemic.
"When you come through those hospital doors, I recognize that in lots of ways I'm your lifeline and gateway to better health. And because of that, I personally always had a very high threshold for these types of incidents and situations. I think my colleagues, as well," he told CTV News Edmonton in an interview on Thursday.
The Canadian Medical Association says is asking the Canadian government for protection from those they are helping.
"We do know when protests were happening outside hospitals not too long ago, that there were objects that were thrown. People were shoved. Other incidents that would be classified as physical violence in all other settings," Lafontaine said.
Specifically, the CMA wants the Liberals to follow through on a promise to legislate protections for hospitals and hospital workers. The association believes creating a new offence in the Criminal Code would disincentivize harassment, threats and violence by the public.
"Just because you walk onto hospital grounds or in hospital doors, the expectation should be that you act the same way as you would just interacting with an average Canadian," Lafontaine told CTV News Edmonton.
The CMA has no hard data about the frequency of these types of incidents.
In a study published earlier in the year, one in four American physicians reported being attacked on social media in 2019.
A related factor is that abusive treatment isn't recorded as often as it occurs, the CMA believes. Not only is it -- as Lafontaine himself said -- considered a part of the job, there is no clear mechanism to report and address a problem without fear of retaliation.
The Grande Prairie doctor says he knows colleagues who have shut down their social media accounts or created anonymous profiles because of online harassment, and others who avoid certain topics for fear of how patients will react.
"That doesn't happen in isolation. All these things kind of collect and aggregate together until they spill over into real world incidents that actually cause great harm," Lafontaine said.
"Threats of violence -- whether real or perceived -- are just another layer that will eventually lead to providers walking away from their jobs, changing the character of the type of clinical care that they provide. These are the types of things we can't afford in the midst of all these parallel crises."
Lafontaine says the CMA has heard positive feedback from the federal justice ministry, lending hope a change will soon be included in the legislative agenda.
In a statement, the press secretary of Canada's minister of justice and attorney general reiterated the government was committed to making it illegal to both block access to a health facility and intimidate or threaten health-care workers.
"We are currently looking at all options to make that promise a reality as soon as possible," Chantalle Aubertin wrote.
"There is absolutely no place for intimidation or threats to our hardworking health care workers and anyone seeking health services, particularly at hospitals and clinics."
The CMA is also asking websites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to develop a plan to combat the harassment and threats that take place on their platforms.
"At the end of the day, protecting health providers is really about helping and protecting patients, as well," Lafontaine said.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.