Quebec expansion of pharmacists’ powers slow to be implemented

The expansion of pharmacists’ powers provided for in Bill 67, which was adopted in 2024, is slow to be implemented on the ground, the Quebec Association of Pharmacy Owners (AQPP) says.

Bill 67 aims to broaden certain professional practices in the health-care system, including those of pharmacists. Under the legislation, pharmacists will be able to administer medications for therapeutic purposes and substitute medications in a wider range of circumstances.

The problem is that these new professional acts must be governed by a new overarching agreement, as the previous one expired on March 31, 2025. The AQPP has been negotiating with the government for several months to establish a remuneration framework for the new activities stemming from Bill 67.

Negotiations are moving “at a snail’s pace,” said AQPP president Benoit Morin. The government tabled a proposal about a month and a half ago, which Morin described as disappointing.

“We understand that the government has other negotiations underway, but things need to move faster. We need a shift so we can truly make full use of the network’s 1,900 pharmacies, invest in clinical services, and deliver those services to the population,” Morin said.

The AQPP is calling for compensation that reflects the increased workload. Expanding pharmacists’ powers under Bill 67 is intended to relieve pressure on primary care so that the burden does not rest solely on physicians.

“Right now, laws 31 and 41 give us some autonomy for common conditions, such as treating a urinary tract infection, but with certain administrative restrictions. The patient must have had a prescription for a number of years, whereas under Bill 67 there will be more common conditions and fewer restrictions on what we already do,” Morin explained. In the case of urinary tract infections, fewer criteria would be required for a patient to be eligible for treatment by a pharmacist.

Another example: pharmacists would be able to prescribe antibiotic treatment for uncomplicated cellulitis — a skin infection that Morin says is relatively common in the population.

“All of this will promote greater pharmacist autonomy, but these are new professional acts that are not spelled out in the law and must be negotiated. It’s quite complex to find a formula that ensures the acts performed are appropriate and truly serve the public,” Morin said.

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–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews