Quebec makes new offer to medical specialists with increased budget & performance target
Posted September 11, 2025 10:04 am.
Last Updated September 11, 2025 1:05 pm.
Quebec has revealed a new offer to the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ), outlining performance targets for medical specialists and a significant budget increase.
The proposal, dated Sept. 4, follows the earlier offer made in April and includes an additional $72 million in funding over two years.
Under the new offer, compensation for medical specialists will still be partially linked to the achievement of performance targets, a contentious issue for the 11,000 specialists represented by former Premier Lucien Bouchard at the negotiation table.
The total financial commitment from Quebec amounts to nearly $5 billion per year until 2028.
Key provisions in the offer include efforts to rebalance compensation across 59 specialties, including ophthalmology, radiology, cardiology, and others.
Despite the increased funding, some specialists, particularly in radiology, have raised concerns, citing stagnant fees over the past 15 years.
Additionally, the offer also sets progressive performance targets for emergency departments regarding patients on stretchers, from 16.5 hours in October 2025 to 14 hours in the summer of 2028.
It is also including faster care for outpatients — hoping to bring the wait time to four hours by 2028.
The number of Quebecers waiting to see a specialist has skyrocketed in the past five years, reaching a new record high increasing from 500,000 to more than 900,000.
Quebec’s Minister of Health is expected to soon present amendments to Bill 106 to hold physicians more accountable for improving access to medical services, and establish a collective responsibility.
