A York region Paramedic says that she was eager to work again in the field after a six -year union holiday, but was suddenly removed on a Facebook comment last month, criticizing Israeli military functions in the Middle East.
“I was about to return to an ambulance in late July,” Catherine Grazzzak on Thursday said in his first public comments about the case.
“I was really really excited and eager to go out to be a paramedic.”
Instead, the experienced paramedic said it was fired on June 20 after criticizing Gaza and several countries on 20 June, and accused the country of hungry to hungry children and kill health care workers in a comment on a union social media post.
The regional municipality of York said last month that the authorities on June 19 began an inquiry into an employee’s “comments related to social media”, causing dismissal.
“I think it’s extremely unfortunate that we are here,” Grazzzakzak said, who served in the executive board of public employees of the Canadian Association.
“This is not a good time, it has been a very emotionally difficult time for me.”
Grzejszczak told reporters that the remarks he made was in line with “professional obligations” as a health worker.
He said, “I love my job as a paramedic because it is the first and foremost about preserving life and reducing suffering,” he said, “Calling to end a genocide is not a threat to public safety, it is public safety.”
He said, “I really hope that I am reinstated soon so that I can continue using my life savings skills to serve the residents of York region,” he said at a news conference, surrounded by supporters and union members.
His dismissal has created concern among the free speech advocates and lawyers, who say that it was a violation of Grzejszczak’s charter rights.
“Whether someone agreed or disagreed with the contents of his Facebook post, a senior Fellow Daniel Per, a senior Fellow Daniel Per, at Toronto Metropolitan University, was using her charter-reserved rights for freedom of expression.”
He called for a paramedic since 2010 to reinstate the York region, which is a paramedic since 2010.
“She should be judged on whether she fulfills her professional standards of care, not for her political beliefs,” said. “And let’s clear, no suggestion has been made that Catherine’s political beliefs have resulted in an inappropriate treatment of any patient.”
Arrived for comment on Thursday, a spokesperson of the regional municipality of York originally released the statement issued in June about the “comments” of an employee.
Patrick Casey also said, “There is no change from the York region as the matter was initially addressed.”
Cupe Ontario Municipal Activists President Christa Linga said that the entire process of firing Grzejszczak took less than 48 hours, and alleged that there was no proper investigation.
He said that the decision sets an example, in which workers should be worried in the entire province, and the couples will continue to fight for their restoration.
The Center for Free Expression says that it has seen an increase in the number of people to express its political views since the onset of the Israeli-Hamas war.
The latest war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023 with a Hamas -led attack on Southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said earlier this week that the war toll between the Palestinians had crossed 60,000. The ministry, which works under the Hamas government, does not distinguish between terrorists and citizens in its count, but said that more than half of the dead are women and children.
The United Nations and other independent experts see their figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed the data, saying that it only targets terrorists and blames civil deaths on Hamas.
With files from Associated Press