Quebec physicians ready to strike, if necessary, in early 2025

Vacant exam room in a Montreal hospital. (Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press)

The Quebec resident physicians federation says it is ready to strike if necessary, given the impasse in its negotiations with Quebec to renew its collective agreement.

The federation is already preparing for this: in mid-November, it sent institutions a list of essential services it proposes to maintain. It is now awaiting the employers' response, federation president Dr. Ghassen Soufi said in an interview on Tuesday.

Under the rules, the Administrative Labour Tribunal must assess the sufficiency of these services, even where there is agreement between the employer and union parties.

The main points at issue in these negotiations are workload and remuneration.

The Federation wants its members who so desire to be able to benefit from a day of rest after seven consecutive days of work.

As for compensation, Soufi reports that the current FMRQ agreement includes a trailer clause, which stipulates that residents will receive the same increases as those granted to public employees.

However, in order to pay these increases, the government would require greater flexibility, predictability and no reduction in services to the population, said Soufi.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 17, 2024.