The rain didn’t deter them. Hundreds of doctors in white coats gathered outside the National Assembly in Quebec City yesterday, their message clear and urgent: Bill 106 threatens the very foundation of patient care in our province.
As I stood among the crowd, the passion was palpable. Dr. Marie Rochette, a family physician from Montreal’s east end with 27 years of experience, clutched her handmade sign reading “Patients Before Politics” with determination in her eyes.
“This bill fundamentally misunderstands how we practice medicine,” she told me, her voice barely audible above chants of “On vous écoute!” (We’re listening to you!) that rippled through the crowd. “They’re asking us to sacrifice quality care for arbitrary quotas.”
Bill 106, introduced last month by Health Minister Christian Dubé, aims to increase healthcare accessibility by requiring family doctors to accept more patients and work additional hours in hospitals and emergency rooms. The legislation threatens penalties for physicians who don’t comply, including possible salary reductions of up to 30 percent.
The Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ) estimates the bill would force family doctors to work up to 12 additional hours weekly in emergency rooms. Dr. Marc-André Amyot, president of the FMOQ, didn’t mince words when addressing protestors.
“We’re already stretched beyond our limits,” he said. “Adding mandatory hours will just drive more of us into early retirement or out of the province entirely.”
According to Ministry of Health data, Quebec currently faces a shortage of approximately 1,000 family physicians. Many worry Bill 106 could worsen this deficit rather than improve it.
The government maintains the legislation is necessary to address critical access issues. Nearly 860,000 Quebecers lack a family doctor, with wait times for non-urgent care often stretching months. Premier François Legault defended the bill last week, stating, “Difficult situations require difficult decisions.”
But patients themselves seem divided. Monique Therrien, 67, from Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, has been without a family doctor for three years.
“I understand why doctors are upset,” she said during a conversation at a local pharmacy where she was picking up refills authorized by a pharmacist under Quebec’s expanded scope laws. “But something needs to change. I’ve been on waiting lists for so long I’ve lost hope.”
Meanwhile, Caroline Zhang, mother of two young children in Villeray, worries about unintended consequences. “My doctor already seems exhausted. If she’s forced to take on more patients or work more hours, will the quality of care suffer? Will she simply leave?”
The Quebec Medical Association released findings from a member survey showing 41% of physicians under 40 would consider leaving Quebec if Bill 106 passes in its current form. This exodus could disproportionately impact already underserved areas like Montreal’s northern boroughs and parts of the Eastern Townships.
At McGill University’s Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Samuel Benaroya expressed concern about recruitment. “Medical students are watching this situation closely. If family medicine becomes increasingly regulated and burdensome, they’ll choose other specialties or other provinces.”
The bill also raises questions about healthcare equity. Patient advocates note that simply adding more patients to doctors’ rosters doesn’t address systemic barriers faced by vulnerable populations.
Rita Kamel from the Montreal Patient Rights Association believes the legislation misses crucial factors. “Access isn’t just about having a doctor’s name on a list,” she explained. “It’s about appropriate care that accounts for language barriers, cultural considerations, and complex needs. None of that is addressed here.”
As protests continue, compromise seems distant. The government has indicated willingness to amend certain provisions but remains committed to the bill’s core principles of increased accessibility and accountability.
For Montreal’s medical community, the coming weeks will be decisive. Many doctors have launche
