Quebec trying to 'minimize' impact of health care cuts on services

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube at the Legislative Assembly in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Eliminating $1.5 billion in health care spending is likely to have an impact on services, but Quebec says it will try to "minimize" it.

Health Minister Christian Dubé made the comments at a news conference Friday to mark the launch of the Santé Québec agency this Sunday.

The agency was mandated to return to a balanced budget, which the minister described on Thursday as "non-negotiable."

Already, hundreds of vacant positions have been abolished in every region of Quebec, opposition parties lamented.

Dubé acknowledged that a clean-up of institutional spending would most likely affect public services.

"I can tell you, in all transparency, that we are currently looking at everything to make sure that there will be budgetary rigour and that we will be able to minimize -- that's the right word, minimize -- the impact on services," he said.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 29, 2024.