Quebec pharmacists face same private agency problem as nurses

Pharmacists are experiencing the same issue as nurses when it comes to private labor agencies in Quebec. The Quebec Association of Pharmacist Owners (AQPP) is sounding the alarm before the situation spirals out of control. 

“There are many similarities with the problems of independent nurses. It’s the same phenomenon,” says Benoit Morin, president of the AQPP. ” There are replacement agencies that recruit pharmacists in pharmacies, hire them, and then offer them to pharmacist owners in exchange for replacements. But that creates gaps. Every time they recruit a pharmacist, that’s one less pharmacist in the network.”

The association has decided to declare Tuesday a day without the use of community pharmacy replacement agencies. It hopes to raise awareness among the government and agencies about the crisis in the pharmacy network. 

The Association of Quebec Pharmacy Banners and Chains, which includes major chains such as Brunet, Familiprix, Jean Coutu and Uniprix, has joined the AQPP’s message.

Pharmacists have always used replacement agencies to fill occasional needs, explains Morin. For about five years, the labor shortage has “artificially worsened,” he says, and more and more pharmacists are deciding to work as replacements rather than investing in a community.

By 2024, one million hours of replacement work will have been completed in pharmacies, and the AQPP fears that this number will continue to rise exponentially if nothing is done. The situation could jeopardize the development of front-line clinical services, pharmacists warn. 

Currently, the vacancy rate in community pharmacies is 12 per cent, compared to 3 per cent in the rest of the province, across all sectors. The AQPP has calculated that Quebec is short 1,150 full- and part-time pharmacists to meet the needs. 

A law to regulate replacement pharmacists? 

Morin said that the Ministry of Health was “very sensitive to the phenomenon.” 

 “At the beginning, a few years ago, I said to myself: we’re private companies, we have to manage our workforce ourselves, we’re good at it. But I admit that right now, we’re a bit like an association at the end of our resources. I think it’s going to take outside help from the government or elsewhere to help us curb this phenomenon,” he admits. 

Morin is not opposed to the idea of ​​legislation regulating the use of replacement pharmacists. “We’re not ruling anything out,” he replies. 

In 2023, the Legault government adopted a law and regulation to limit the use of independent labor agencies (MOI) in the health and social services network, but this does not include pharmacists.  

Following criticism from facilities that were unable to continue providing optimal care to the population without nurses from private agencies, Health Minister Christian Dubé decided to give facilities more time to organize. The regulations are currently being implemented gradually, region by region, until October 2026. 

— The Canadian Press’s health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. Editorial choices are solely those of The Canadian Press.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews