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Negotiations between the Quebec government and family doctors have broken off once again, less than a month before a set of reforms are set to go into effect that would alter the way doctors are paid.
The Legault government and the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ) had restarted talks in the weeks following the October adoption of Bill 2, the special legislation drafted by Health Minister Christian Dubé.
But it was revealed Thursday those talks have collapsed.
“Nothing is working. The government won’t budge on its law,” said Stéphane Gosselin, a spokesperson for the FMOQ.
France-Élaine Duranceau, Quebec’s Treasury Board President, said she was “very disappointed” that talks had ended. She said the provincial government had been open to finding common ground.
The adoption of Bill 2 has sparked an outcry, both because its provisions were heavily contested and because the government used closure to force the bill through in the middle of a legislative session — a move considered highly unusual.
Many family medicine clinics across the province have said they would close if changes aren’t made to the new law.
The province’s medical specialists, represented by the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ), are also targeted by the law.
For their part, they have refused to return to the negotiating table since the bill passed, despite efforts by the provincial government to bring them back into the fold.
The FMSQ has chosen to focus on its lawsuit challenging Bill 2. It is not the only legal action currently underway; the FMOQ and the province’s medical student federation (FMEQ) have also asked the courts to intervene in the dispute.
The medical groups — which the government refers to as unions — are contesting Bill 2 because it ties a portion of physician remuneration to the achievement of collective targets.
They also oppose provisions that allow for sanctions if doctors don’t comply with the new law, even though Quebec has promised not to enforce that measure in the short term.
The closure of the family medicine clinic west of Montreal could affect nearly 12,000 patients. GMF Hudson says three of its seven physicians will no longer practise in the province, citing the new legislation.
