Sure I’ll volunteer – as long as I get paid
Now this just pisses me off.
“Quebec orthopedists heading to Haiti to volunteer in relief efforts want to be paid their normal daily $800 wage, according to reports published Wednesday. … According to a letter signed by Jacques Desnoyers, president of Quebec’s orthopedists association, the doctors expect to be paid their average daily salary of $800 under medicare while working in Haiti. … Dr. Gaétan Barrette said firefighters and police officers sent to Haiti are remunerated, and physicians should be too.”
Well, astute members of the Quebec Orthopedists Association, the key difference for you to understand is that policemen and firefighters were SENT to Haiti. Just incase you geniuses need help with the definition of SENT, here is the definition from the Oxford dictionary:
“To order or direct to go or to be conveyed. To commission, order, or request (a person) to go to or into a place or to a person.”
Now for VOLUNTEER:
“Voluntarily performing any action or service; undertaking a service of one’s own free will.”
So, the policemen and firefighters were told that they are going to Haiti. They didn’t have a choice. They didn’t have a choice to not face the dangers. They were told they were leaving their families behind and don’t know when they’ll be back. You, on the other hand, do have a choice. Thus you volunteered. Like Doctors without Borders.
So, why should we pay you?
Oy.
The orthopedists volunteered to go. Nowhere does it say they volunteered to work. Bit of a difference. As for the firefights and policemen who were sent? Something tells me they’re getting quite a nice bonus on top of their pay to go there. Don’t soldiers get danger pay when sent to war zones?
You’re right, though, the docs should go for however long it takes: who cares if they’ve got mortgages and other bills to pay? They should work in a dangerous, aseptic, unclean and possibly violent environment where proper working conditions are probably non-existent.
But hey, it’s easy to dump on the Quebec orthopedists. Funny, we haven’t heard anything about doctors from other provinces. Is it because they didn’t volunteer to go there?
Oh, and it’s shit like the crap that’s in the comments (plus the fact that Harper is in power), it’s a wonder why they isn’t more support for sovereignty in this province.
Besides that, how’s life treating you?