Quebec paramedic students face graduation delays as labour dispute stalls internships

Quebec paramedic students who began their training three years ago are still waiting on the internships they need to graduate, with the labour dispute keeping them off the job. A new negotiation date is set for Nov. 12, but the union says talks have yet to resume with the newly elected Parti Québécois government.

Hal Newman, a former paramedic and independent journalist with The Last Ambulance, said the timing is especially hard on students who started their programs when negotiations were already underway. "They're on the cusp of graduation three years later, and the negotiations still haven't been resolved," he said.

Francia Corropoli-Coudry, a third-year student in pre-hospital emergency care, says students are eager to start working but have not yet gotten the hands-on experience needed to graduate. "Every student, they don't do it for the money or for anything. I just want to help people," she said. "It's a bit disappointing for us not to have our internships, but we really do support them because they are our future colleagues and those are our future work environments and work conditions," she said.

Mathieu Lacombe, a paramedic and CSN union representative, said the delays are hitting an already strained workforce. "The fact that the students can't start working, it impacts me directly as a paramedic. I need new coworkers. We need them," he said. Lacombe said he understands why some students may be reconsidering their career choice.

The dispute began in July 2025. Paramedics are seeking higher wages, improved retirement benefits and better working conditions, particularly for part-time employees, along with measures to address heavy workloads and excessive overtime. Lacombe said the work has grown more complex since the COVID-19 pandemic and that pay should reflect that. "So we want to redo this evaluation to make sure our salary really reflects the work we are doing."