Montreal Firefighters supported by several thousand Australian counterparts in boycott of World Police & Fire Games Montreal 2017

MONTREAL, Feb. 11, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The unanimous support of 6,200 Australian firefighters was voiced in recent days for the Association des Pompiers de Montréal's boycott of the World Police & Fire Games Montreal 2017, set to take place in Montreal in 2017. The boycott is in response to the conflict with municipalities over pension funds that arose in the wake of the government of Quebec's adoption of Bill 15, which marked one of the darkest episodes in the modern history of Quebec's labour relations.

‟The international support that we've received demonstrates how unfairly municipal employees, and firefighters in particular, have been treated. This unfortunate set of events has tarnished the image of the Quebec government and the City of Montreal across the globe,ˮ said Ronald Martin, the President of the Association des Pompiers de Montréal (APM). Mr. Martin stressed that the credibility of the government and the city will suffer further in the coming months owing to increased international support for the APM's cause.

Mr. Martin also highlighted his appreciation that the Fire Brigade Employees' Union (FBEU) of Sydney, Australia, is also committed to promoting the boycott with all its members, and in particular the Fire and Rescue New South Wales Sports Association (FRNSW Sports Association). This federation promotes the representation of firefighters and First Aid responders in Australian and international sports activities of all kinds.

The groundswell of support for a boycott of the World Police & Fire Games Montreal 2017 by Montreal firefighters is growing now more than ever, despite all that has and will be said by the event organizers, including on social media and particularly on Facebook. This support will intensify over the coming weeks and months. The president of the APM urged the organizers of the games to show more transparency and prudence when falsely stating, in response to comments from the public, that there was in fact no such boycott.

‟The decision to maintain a boycott of the games, in response to a deterioration in labour relations with the City of Montreal, is not taken lightheartedly by Montreal's firefighters,ˮ said Mr. Martin.

He stated that the absence of dialogue with the city and the political establishment does not bode well for the future when new powers will be granted to municipalities resulting from the fiscal pact between provincial and municipal authorities.

SOURCE Association des Pompiers de Montréal

Source : Ronald Martin, President, Association des Pompiers de Montréal; Information : Alexandre Dumas, 514 898-4636 (cell), 514 845-7068 (direct line), [email protected]