Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette is describing the mass resignation of six regional public health directors as “total opportunism.”

The directors quit due to a rule that bans them from practicing medicine while occupying their administrative posts.

Barrette said that the directors sent their letters of resignation over two weeks ago but are now hoping to gain public sympathy by mining the controversy over the discussion of Yves Bolduc, the Education Minister who received a bonus of $215,000 after simultaneously serving as doctor and MNA for 18 months.

Barrette said that he would reinstate the directors if they wish, otherwise they will simply be replaced.

The contract governing the directors requires them to devote themselves exclusively to tasks related to that function during normal working hours.

Nothing prevents them from practicing medicine outside of their working hours, evenings and weekends.

One day earlier Barrette slammed Claude Castonguay, who served as Health Minister in the early 70s over the same affair.

Barrette described Castonguay's demand that Bolduc quit as "foutaise totale," an expression that translates into English as "total bulls***t." 

-With a file from The Canadian Press