MP Joins Fire Fighters in Fight to Establish PSOC Benefit in Canada

June 25, 2007 -- A New Democratic Party (NDP) member of Parliament from British Columbia has shone a spotlight on the need for a national Public Safety Officer Compensation (PSOC) benefit in Canada.

MP Catherine Bell (Vancouver Island North) joined forces with members of Campbell River Local 1668 at a press conference May 23 to call on the government to act on a private member’s motion that was adopted in 2005.

“There’s no justification to delay honouring these hardworking heroes who risk their lives and their safety every day in service to our communities,” Bell said, noting that 18 Canadian fire fighters had died in the line of duty since the motion was passed. Most of the line-of-duty deaths were the result of occupational cancers. “How many will it take?” Bell asked.

Motion M-153, which was adopted by a vote of 161 to 112 in the House of Commons in October 2005, calls on the federal government to establish a national compensation benefit for public safety officers. It was supported unanimously by Conservative MPs, who were the opposition at the time but are now in power.

M-153 was introduced by Peter Julian, also a NDP MP from British Columbia.

The press conference followed on the heels of the IAFF’s 15th Canadian Legislative Conference, where IAFF members from across Canada lobbied their MPs to act on the PSOC benefit and other issues. Delegate responses indicate a majority of MPs still support establishing the benefit, which the IAFF proposes should be in the form of a $300,000 payment to the surviving family. The United States has had a national Public Safety Officer Benefit (PSOB) since 1976.

For more information, click here. Click here for the PSOC fact sheet.