Quebec adds medical residency positions

Quebec announced Thursday the addition of 24 medical residency positions for the upcoming academic year, bringing the total to 1,008. Even with this increase in the number of positions, the province is still struggling to fill all family medicine residency positions.

It’s not new for the government to increase the number of family medicine positions more than was filled the previous year. For the Quebec Federation of Resident Physicians (FMRQ), it’s difficult to fault them for wanting to fill more positions each year.

For the upcoming academic year, 554 positions will be allocated to family medicine and 454 to other specialties. This announcement stems from the Standing Committee on Medical Workforce Planning in Quebec, which comprises numerous stakeholders, including Quebec Health, the Ministry of Health, medical federations, the College of Physicians, and the Conference of Deans and Vice-Deans of Faculties of Medicine, to name just a few.

In response to a request for comment from The Canadian Press, the president of the FMRQ, Dr. Louis-Charles Desbiens, indicated that the number of new positions was agreed upon by the various stakeholders. “However, it is essential to ensure that these resident physicians, upon completion of their residency, have access to attractive positions and working conditions,” he said in a written statement.

Even with the government adding residency positions, Quebec remains the province with the most difficulty filling available family medicine residency spots. According to 2025 data from the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), of the 94 vacant family medicine residency positions in Canada, 69 were in Quebec. This is similar to the situation in 2024, when 75 family medicine residency positions remained unfilled nationwide, 70 of them in Quebec.

The FMRQ remains optimistic about the future. It explains that the number of positions offered takes into account several variables, including the number of medical school graduates and the medical staffing needs in the different regions of Quebec.

Dr. Desbiens points out that last year, 484 doctoral students chose family medicine as their residency specialty, representing an increase of nearly 6 per cent compared to the previous year. “This means that among the  60 or so medical specialties that exist in Quebec, many of which are also experiencing a shortage of doctors, more than half choose family medicine; this is clearly significant,” he emphasizes.

What are the impacts of the strike?

Health Minister Sonia Bélanger spoke of a shared commitment in a written statement. “This increase of 24 medical residency positions, compared to last year, aligns with the commitment of our government and our partners to maintain a healthy distribution of medical residency positions.”

In a statement, her office specified that the consultation table took into account the repercussions of this fall’s teachers’ strike, which may have affected the graduation of medical students. “This is why, this year, the number of positions corresponds to the number of future residents,” wrote the office of the Minister of Health.

The FMRQ explained that the number of positions was determined based on the projected number of graduates expected to receive their diplomas at the end of this academic year. “Obviously, we will need to see what the planned practice conditions are after the end of their residency. This factor can have a major impact on attracting the next generation of doctors, as the FMRQ has already pointed out on several occasions,” Dr. Desbiens noted.

Larger cohorts in medicine

The Quebec government announced in 2022 that it was increasing medical student cohorts across the province.

The FMRQ asserts that this measure is one of the government’s best moves in healthcare. “With the increased admissions starting in 2018 and even more so with those implemented from 2022 onward, we are beginning to have a number of medical school graduates each year that more closely reflects actual needs. It’s important to remember that it takes 7 to 12 years to train a doctor, depending on the specialty. The increased admissions therefore take time to have an impact, but we are getting there,” explained Dr. Desbiens.

The enhanced cohorts are expected in 2028.

Dr. Desbiens, however, offers a word of caution. “Now, we just have to avoid undermining these efforts by devaluing the practice of medicine through coercive measures that undermine its attractiveness, like those put forward last year by Minister [Christian] Dubé.” He says he hopes things will change with Bélanger.

—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