Martine Biron accuses medical specialists of taking students ‘hostage’
Posted September 18, 2025 12:48 pm.
“Deeply shocked” by the pressure tactics used by medical specialists, Higher Education Minister Martine Biron urges them to stop taking students “hostage” and return to teaching.
“Internships are being canceled. Courses have had to be redone. It’s all a house of cards; it can’t go on. Specialist doctors need to get back to working with students. They are mentors to these students,” she said during a press scrum on Thursday at the National Assembly.
Opposed to Bill 106, which aims to link part of their remuneration to performance indicators, medical specialists have stopped teaching medical students.
Minister Biron fears that these pressure tactics could jeopardize the students’ graduation.
“To apply for a residency, you have to have completed all your courses and internships. So students who haven’t done their internships will have a hard time applying for residency. This is hindering their progress and their ability to graduate on time. It’s an extremely tight curriculum,” she explained.
Earlier on Thursday, the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists (FSMQ) wrote on social media: “With Bill 106 still on the agenda, medical specialists are more mobilized than ever and are preparing the second phase of their pressure tactics. We hope that there is still someone reasonable in the government so that real negotiations can finally begin.”
Faced with difficult negotiations with the doctors, Health Minister Christian Dubé agreed to compromise by reducing the portion of their remuneration linked to performance indicators from 25 per cent to 15 per cent.
The minister met with the two doctors’ federations in recent days. He assures that “significant progress” has been made.
“The ball is in the federations’ court. (…) I invite the federations to come to the negotiating table in the coming weeks,” said the minister.
The government is set to release its third proposal to doctors on Friday.
On Tuesday, the Quebec Federation of General Practitioners (FMOQ) called on its members to stop participating in medical-administrative activities that do not directly affect patients.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
