Quebec medical specialists announce legal challenge of new compensation law

QUÉBEC — Medical specialists in Quebec are planning a legal challenge to a recent law that imposes a new method of remuneration on physicians, which they say violates individual freedoms.

The bill, which was fast-tracked through Quebec’s legislature and adopted early Saturday morning, prohibits doctors from using pressure tactics that could interfere with access to care. In response, the Quebec federation of medical specialists says it will seek a stay of proceedings in Quebec Superior Court on Wednesday.

“When you analyze it properly, you realize that (the law) infringes on basic individual freedoms,” Dr. Vincent Oliva, the federation’s president, said Tuesday at a press conference in Quebec City.

Physicians who take “concerted action” to oppose the government’s policies could face severe penalties, including fines of up to $20,000 per day. Those actions could include groups of three or more doctors refusing to teach medical students or deciding to leave the public health system or move to another province.

Doctors have been up in arms since the bill was forced through the national assembly. After an initial demonstration on Sunday in Montreal, about 15 physicians showed up in front of the legislature on Tuesday morning with black tape over their mouths to protest the new law, known as Bill 2.

The mere act of inciting doctors to take action is now punishable by law, warned nephrologist Jean-François Cailhier.

“Bill 2 takes the concept of gagging to another level,” he said. “This is the first time that so many individual freedoms have been violated in this way …. It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

According to Dr. Cailhier, the mood among medical professionals is “gloomy.” “Many no longer even want to work,” he said.

Dr. Rémi Gagnon, an allergist-immunologist from Quebec City, said he has never seen so many doctors crying. “There is a lot of distress right now,” he said.

The new law links 10 per cent of physicians’ remuneration to performance targets. For example, general practitioners will have to provide a total of 17.5 million appointments each year. Specialists will have to perform at least 97 per cent of surgeries within a maximum of 12 months.

But doctors are already among the hardest-working professionals, argued Dr. Anne Desjardins, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at Hôtel-Dieu de Québec. “Everyone is already working at full capacity. We’re beating a dead horse, that’s what we’re doing,” she said. “All this is being done to gain political capital, which is indecent.”

She said her husband warned her over the weekend to be careful about commenting on social media, for fear of the penalties in the law.

Dr. Desjardins, who is also the director of a residency program, said she is concerned about the next generation, which she believes is at high risk of becoming “demotivated.” In fact, Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia are courting Quebec doctors.

Faced with growing discontent within the network, Santé Québec on Tuesday issued a call for calm, asking all its employees to “maintain a peaceful atmosphere.”

Meanwhile, Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant, a neuropediatrician, expressed his discomfort with Bill 2 on Tuesday. He said his wife and daughter, both doctors, are angry. “It’s not easy at home,” he told reporters. “Of course it affects me to see people I love upset.” He said certain parts of the law are “unclear.”

Later in the day, Health Minister Christian Dubé refused to comment on Carmant’s remarks, saying only that he wanted to “continue to protect patients.”

“I saw Dr. Oliva’s press briefing this morning. I understand their reaction. I also understand that these are big changes for them. It is their right to take the action they are taking,” he said.

On Tuesday, the opposition Parti Québécois and Quebec Liberal Party both said they would repeal the law to remove the coercive component.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2025.

Caroline Plante, The Canadian Press