Quebec’s negotiations with 2 medical associations temporarily suspended
Posted October 7, 2025 4:42 pm.
Negotiations between the Quebec government and medical specialists have been temporarily suspended. The Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists (FMSQ) announced that government negotiators have returned to validate their mandate.
For its part, the Quebec Federation of General Practitioners (FMOQ) simply confirmed that negotiations are on hold and that more details will be available on Wednesday.
It should be noted that the two medical federations recently agreed to mediation in order to break the deadlock and renew their respective framework agreements.
It seems, negotiations were going well. The FMSQ says it hopes to resume when the mandate is clarified.
“In the presence of the mediator, despite the good progress recognized by all, our counterparts confirmed that their current mandate remains to work within the framework of Bill 106, not to exclude the FMSQ by concluding an agreement. It was therefore agreed to temporarily suspend mediation to allow government representatives to validate the scope of their mandate. We are awaiting a response,” according to a communication sent by the FMSQ to its members.
Bill 106, which aims to link part of doctors’ compensation to performance indicators, appears to be the Gordian knot of the negotiations. Last week, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that he was putting Bill 106 on hold to give the mediation process a chance.
When questioned by reporters on Tuesday, Dubé briefly stated that he would not comment during mediation. He mentioned that even though negotiations are on hold, “mediation is still ongoing.”
Specialists and general practitioners have been taking pressure tactics for several weeks, including boycotting medical-administrative activities. The FMSQ has also stopped teaching students, which could delay the graduation of future doctors.
Family doctors had planned to do the same on October 1, but after an initial postponement, the federation finally decided to wait and see where the mediation would go before adding a new pressure tactic. FMOQ members voted 91 per cent in favour of boycotting teaching in a vote held on September 23.
–The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
