‘Total refusal’ to negotiate: Dubé condemns Quebec doctors’ federations

Health Minister Christian Dubé condemns the “total refusal” of the two medical associations to discuss the remuneration model under Bill 106, which aims, among other things, to link up to 25 per cent of family doctors’ remuneration to performance indicators.

At a press conference Tuesday morning in Montreal, Dubé sought to set the record straight on what is being asked of doctors under Bill 106. He gave several positive examples of the changes the legislation would bring, emphasizing that its goal is to offer more appointments to patients.

Dubé stated that the two medical federations—the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ) and the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ)—have refused to submit formal counterproposals as part of the negotiations to renew their respective framework agreements. The government submitted its proposal in March, Dubé recalled.

He said that negotiations did not progress as he would have liked over the summer, pointing the finger at the FMOQ, which has not been at the table since the end of July, according to Dubé.

“For its part, the FMSQ had several meetings this summer, many more than with family doctors. But for reasons of its own, and I’m being careful here, it did not make any formal counterproposals either and specifically asked […] in the last few days not to receive any new proposals. There is surely a link with PL106,” said Dubé.

In a statement, the FMSQ says that they have never left the negotiating table.

“So far this summer, there have been 14 meetings between our negotiators, in addition to meetings with the President of the Treasury Board and the Premier’s office,” the statement reads.

“By introducing Bill 106 in May, Minister Dubé reversed all the work that had been done between the Treasury Board and the FMOQ. He has put us in a bind because this bill will allow the government, in section 8, to not honour a signed agreement. How can we negotiate, obtain an agreement in principle, and have our members vote on it if the government subsequently refuses to commit to keeping its word? We are therefore asking him to withdraw the bill to give negotiations a real chance. Otherwise, he should submit the matter to arbitration, a method used by all Canadian provinces in these situations.”

The FMOQ has reportedly asked the government to make a new offer. This will be made public early next week, Dubé’s office announced. “I lowered some targets to show that I am listening. I did it with the FMOQ, and I am ready to do it with the specialists,” he assured.

The FMSQ is “sabotaging” the digital health record

The minister was surprised by the FMSQ’s pressure tactic, which apparently decided not to participate in the implementation of the digital health record. “It’s an essential tool for doctors that will not only make their daily work in the hospital easier, but also greatly reduce paperwork and improve the flow of work in the hospital. This is exactly what doctors are asking us to do,” Dubé emphasized.

For patients, having a digital health record will mean that they will no longer have to repeat their health history to different healthcare professionals, he added.

“For the FMSQ to sabotage such a major project is to miss the mark,” said Dubé.

He firmly reiterated that Bill 106 is here to stay. “When I hear ‘we will negotiate on condition that you withdraw the bill,’ for me, that’s a non-starter,” he said.

The FMOQ has reportedly asked the government to make a new offer. This offer will be made public early next week, according to Minister Dubé’s office. “I have lowered certain targets to show that I am listening. I did so with the FMOQ, and I am prepared to do so with the specialists,” he assured.

Last week, the FMOQ once again urged the CAQ to abandon Bill 106. In an open letter, FMOQ President and CEO Dr. Marc-André Amyot once again denounced the government’s attempt to force doctors to practice “fast food medicine” by linking the performance of general practitioners “not to the quality and relevance of consultations, but solely to volume.”

-With files from The Canadian Press