Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative MP for South 性视界传媒-White Rock and also chief Opposition whip, has introduced a private member鈥檚 bill in Ottawa aimed at protecting doctors, nurses, patients and staff from weapon-wielding criminals, and unsupervised hard drug use in hospitals.

Bill C-391, The Safe Hospitals Act, introduced May 28, is designed to keep doctors, nurses and patients safe by toughening penalties for criminals who bring dangerous weapons into hospitals.

鈥淚t would also bar health ministers across Canada from allowing unprescribed and unsupervised hard drug use in hospitals, as was done in B.C. 鈥� Findlay told Peace Arch News.

鈥淎fter nine years of this radical NDP-Liberal government, Canadians no longer feel safe in our hospitals. Doctors and nurses in British Columbia are being exposed to fentanyl smoke in their workplace, and patients are concerned about the presence of dangerous weapons while they receive treatment,鈥� Findlay said in a media release at the time the legislation was introduced.

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She pointed to the Liberals鈥� 鈥渉ard drug legalization experiment鈥� as wreaking havoc on hospitals and putting health-care workers and patients in danger.

Violence against first responders and health-care workers continues to increase, Findlay said.

She noted the BC Nurses鈥� Union has confirmed nurses are being exposed to fentanyl and meth smoke in their workplace.

A leaked memo from B.C.鈥檚 Northern Health region has revealed instructions that nurses are 鈥渘ot to confiscate weapons under four inches long.鈥�

鈥淭here is no sensible reason to permit dangerous weapons in our hospitals, putting sick patients and health-care staff in harm鈥檚 way,鈥� Findlay said.

Findlay told PAN Tuesday that while a private member鈥檚 bill introduced by a member of the Opposition could receive short shrift from the sitting government, it is nonetheless on the calendar for deliberations by the House of Commons.

鈥淲hen the time comes it will be debated in the House, and, if it is passed, it will go on to the Senate,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t can also be studied in both the House and the Senate. It goes through the same rigorous process as any other legislation.鈥�

Findlay said an important part of the purpose of such a bill is to 鈥渇ocus attention on an issue the public needs to know about.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that common sense will prevail and it will pass,鈥� she said.

鈥淚f it doesn鈥檛, it will be up to members of the radical NDP/Liberal coalition to tell Canadians what part of a common sense bill they disagree with.鈥�