Recognizing Nova Scotian First Responders

Muhammad Ali once said: Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. There are some people who pay that rent twice, and then over and over again. Those are, of course, our first responders. This year has been terrifying for our province, as has been said, and first responders have again and again risen to the challenge.

Thousands of Nova Scotians and communities have stepped up to help, oftentimes putting themselves in harm's way. These are the Nova Scotians on the front lines of wildfires, floods, emergency departments. They are the people driving the ambulances, the fire trucks, standing at bedsides, paramedics, nurses, search and rescue, volunteer and career firefighters, police officers, and others. There were also, as has been said, so many neighbours and community members who banded together in these times to cook, clean up, knock on doors, and respond in their own ways to support their communities and to support their first responders, and they all continue to respond because that's what they do.

It's imperative to recognize and thank them for what they are, and that is heroes. I appreciate the opportunity to do so. We also need to put actions behind those recognitions and those thanks. Based on my conversations with first responders across the province, they don't actually care about recognition. What they want to be is safe, equipped, and able to do the work that they put themselves in harm's way to do. They want job protection, they want appropriate benefits, they want appropriate support, they want health and safety protections, they want to be supported in the work that they do for us.

These kinds of weather events are going to continue. Climate change is real, and just as they always have, first responders will be there to get us through. For that, today and every day, we thank them, and we honour them.