Premier Legault to meet doctors' union president Monday morning

Quebec Premier Francois Legault responds to reporters questions at a news conference, Thursday, September 12, 2024 at the legislature in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot, The Canadian Press)

Premier François Legault will meet with the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ) president Dr. Vincent Oliva, on Monday morning in Montreal.

The meeting will take place at a time when the FMSQ is calling for talks to begin on renewing its framework agreement, which expired on April 1, 2023.

In addition to Legault andOliva, Health Minister Christian Dubé will also be attending the meeting, which will take place at 10 a.m.

The FMSQ framework agreement governs, among other things, the remuneration of specialist physicians.

The most recent version of the agreement was concluded in 2018 under the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard, and then amended the following year following the election of the Coalition Avenir Québec.

When it reopened the agreement in 2019, the CAQ government reduced the physicians' remuneration envelope by $560 million on a recurring basis, for a total of $1.6 billion in savings over the period covered by the agreement.

The FMSQ represents 10,000 specialist physicians. Oliva has been its president since 2021.

In addition to its negotiations with specialists, Quebec must also work to renew the framework agreement for family physicians, which also expires on April 1, 2023.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 23, 2024.