Quebec says it wants to study health care reform bill for 3 extra days

The Quebec government announced on Wednesday that it is prepared to study its health care reform for three extra days next week.

The voluminous Bill 15 would create the Santé Québec agency, which would be responsible for coordinating the health network's operations.

The Health Ministry would then be allowed to focus on defining broad policy directions.

If passed into law, Santé Québec would become the single employer for the health and social services networks.

The integrated health and social services centres (CISSS) and university networks (CIUSSS) would be integrated into it.

This means union certifications would be merged, and there would be one seniority list, allowing staff to move from one region to another.

At a press scrum at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Government House Leader Simon Jolin-Barrette said he was following up on a request from the opposition "for collaboration."

He offered to allow MNAs to sit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week to work to pass Bill 15 on Thursday "so that Quebecers can benefit from the reform."

After 227 hours spent in the parliamentary committee, hundreds of articles in the bill remain to be studied, according to the government.

Parliamentary proceedings were due to end on Friday, Dec. 8.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 6, 2023.