Quebec Premier François Legault won’t get the 1,000 pairs of helping hands he had requested after Friday, the date scheduled for the end of the military mission in the province’s long-term care homes.
The soldiers who came to lend a hand earlier in the pandemic have already started to pack up to make way for the Canadian Red Cross, which will gradually replace them starting on July 6.
However, even then, there won’t be 1,000 Red Cross employees and volunteers in the care homes, the organization’s spokesman, Carl Boisvert, confirmed Thursday.
Recruitment is still underway and it’s going well, according to Boisvert. Applicants, who are not required to have medical experience, will be trained before being deployed.
On its website, the Red Cross is still posting various positions, specifying whether they are paid or volunteer: they’ve listed service assistant, beneficiary attendant and administrative worker, among others.
The job ads specify that the people recruited must commit to working a minimum of four weeks in a certain location and that longer-term work will also be offered.