One in three graduates of the emergency pre-hospital care technical program at Cégep de Shawinigan is currently unable to complete their final internship due to the pressure tactics being applied by ambulance workers.
Students are feeling the effects of the strike led by thousands of ambulance workers in the province. “We are working very hard to place all of our interns in the field, but it is true that the longer it takes, the more difficulties we encounter,” said Geneviève Ducharme, Director of Studies at Cégep de Shawinigan, in an interview at the end of the day.
The 3,300 paramedical technicians who are members of the CSN in Quebec have been without a collective agreement since April 2023. On strike since July 2025, they are required to maintain essential services, but supervising internships is not included. The Administrative Labour Tribunal (TAT) recently confirmed this.
“What needs to be understood is that at the core, this was never part of our responsibilities; we always did it for the well-being, to continue the profession,” explained Joël Brunelle, Vice President of Labour Relations at the union representing workers at the Mauricie Ambulance Cooperative (CAM) affiliated with the CSN.
Members of the Quebec Pre-Hospital Employees Federation (FPHQ) ambulance workers have been on strike since December. Their collective agreement expired on March 31, 2025.
Therefore, the majority of ambulance companies are refusing to supervise interns.
“This is one of the few pressure tactics we have left that has an impact, because all the other tactics we have are administrative, like forms that are left unfilled,” explained the president of the FPHQ, Daniel Chouinard.
Chouinard hopes to reach an agreement with the government by December 2025.
Reduction of Internship Hours
The required internship hours for obtaining the diploma have been reduced by 15% to allow a larger number of graduates to access a work-based learning period.
However, many students will have to wait until the summer or even the fall of 2026 before being able to secure an internship with an ambulance company and thereby graduate. These students will see their entry into the job market delayed.
“The idea is to train competent students, so we provide them with quality training, because otherwise, they will be penalized in the job market if they are not competent enough,” emphasized Geneviève Ducharme. “The internship is essential as a pedagogical strategy for acquiring essential skills.”
The consequences are also being felt on the morale of future ambulance workers.
“There is a lot of concern, worries, stress, and even anxiety. The students have worked very hard for several years to reach the final stage and graduation. It is certainly not an easy situation for most of them,” said Ducharme.
Provincially, barely a quarter of emergency pre-hospital care graduates obtained an internship this spring, which amounts to just over 100 students out of 400.
From an interview at the end of the day
