Quebec government reaches agreement in principle with family doctors

QUÉBEC — The Quebec government announced Thursday that it has reached an agreement in principle with its family doctors, agreeing to delay and amend contentious legislation designed to impose a new remuneration system on physicians.

The Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec confirmed the two sides agreed to the deal after a negotiation blitz and a meeting between its president and Premier François Legault.

The group says it welcomes the agreement in principle, which it described as an important step in a difficult context.

“We know that many family doctors were until recently juggling with different scenarios for the next steps in their careers, and we’re fully aware of the climate of uncertainty that you have gone through, and the uncertainty isn’t over,” the group wrote on its site.

“However, we can confirm that the FMOQ is satisfied with the agreement in principle, and that it adequately addresses the objectives you gave us.”

The details of the deal were not immediately disclosed. It will be presented to doctors in a series of webinars on Friday before being put to a vote.

Health Minister Christian Dubé confirmed the government will table a bill to push back the application of Bill 2 until Feb. 28, so that there is time to amend the legislation.

“I always said Law 2 could be perfected and we wanted to take the time to make the necessary adjustments,” he told reporters in Quebec City.

He said Quebecers would be the winners in the deal, if it is approved.

The doctors and the province have been deadlocked over the new legislation, which, as written, ties doctor salaries to the number of patients served and their degree of vulnerability.

The federation has described the law’s impact as catastrophic, and said it has prompted some doctors to leave Quebec, take early retirements or turn to the private sector.

Legault suggested earlier this week that doctors could be offered financial incentives in exchange for taking on more patient care.

Treasury Board President France-Élaine Duranceau would not confirm Thursday whether those incentives had been included in the deal, nor whether doctor pay was linked to performance indicators.

“The goal of the whole process was to change the way doctors are compensated, to increase the uptake of Quebecers in the care of family doctors, so that’s what the agreement reflects,” she said.

Meantime, Legault’s government has yet to reach a deal with specialist doctors.

In a note to members on Thursday, the federation representing the specialists described the suspension of the application of the remuneration law as a “major gain.”

President Vincent Oliva said the group had submitted new proposals on Wednesday following advances made in mediation.

If those are favourably received, they could lead to the rapid resumption of talks, and hopefully an agreement, Oliva said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2025.

The Canadian Press