Half of Quebecers without a first responder service: auditor general

CTV News

22-05-2025

More than two-thirds of municipalities, home to half of Quebec's population, do not have a first responder service, according to the Auditor General (AG).
In a report published on Thursday, the AG stated that in 45 per cent of 'very urgent' calls in these municipalities, ambulance attendants took more than 10 minutes to reach the patient.
'In the case of cardiorespiratory arrest, for example, each minute without intervention reduces the chances of survival by seven to 10 per cent. After 10 minutes, the chances of survival are almost zero,' he notes.
First responders generally arrive on the scene more quickly to provide basic care, while ambulance attendants provide more advanced medical care and safe transport.
The Act respecting pre-hospital emergency services stipulates that Santé Québec must take the necessary measures to support the establishment of a first responder service within the territory of each of its establishments.
In winter 2025, a committee comprising the Ministère de la Santé, Santé Québec, the Union des municipalités and the Fédération québécoise des municipalités had still not reached agreement on how to fund this service.
Moreover, between 2020 and 2024, Quebec ambulance attendants spent an average of half the time they spent in emergency departments waiting for their patients to be taken care of and restoring their vehicles.
For almost a quarter of these interventions, the time spent in the emergency department exceeded an hour.
Two of the three establishments audited by the auditor also carried out a 'grossly inadequate' number of checks on the quality of interventions carried out by ambulance staff, the report states.
Nor does Quebec know whether the sums it pays to ambulance companies are 'reasonable,' given the lack of control.
A 'failure in every respect:' opposition
The opposition parties in the National Assembly were quick to denounce the bill as in 'shambles.'
At a news scrum, Quebec Solidaire MNA Vincent Marissal insisted that life in Trois-Pistoles was just as important as life in the city.
'There are people in Quebec who have no services. (...) It's been going on for years. The government isn't interested. I don't know how many times I've spoken to Health Minister Christian Dubé about it. It's the least of his priorities,' he said.
According to Marissal, the government's action plan for the pre-hospital emergency system, which aims to increase the proportion of the Quebec population covered by a first responder service to 80 per cent by 2028, is 'a failure in every respect.'
'We're a long, long way from achieving the results,' he said. 'What we're saying is: 'You live in the regions, you don't have first responders, there's no time to go and get you. If you fall ill, (...) good luck.' That's what we tell people.'
Interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay pointed out that the Health Ministry does not have response time targets for 'very urgent' cases. However, targets do exist for 'non-urgent' and 'urgent' cases.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 22, 2025.