Latest news with #ChristianDube
CTV News
02-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Quebec pediatricians sounding alarm over Bill 106
Quebec pediatricians say that children are being forgotten in Health Minister Christian Dube's Bill 106.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
MNAs criticize clinics telling patients they might lose their doctors due to Bill 106
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube speaks at a legislature committee studying the remuneration oof doctors, at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) Like Health Minister Christian Dubé, opposition parties on Wednesday condemned the decision by several clinics to send letters informing their patients that they risked losing their doctors if Bill 106 was passed. 'I find it borderline unethical,' Liberal health spokesperson André Fortin said at a news conference. 'This may be crossing the line. I don't know if this is the best way to convey their argument.' In these letters, which The Canadian Press was able to review, clinics warn their patients that Bill 106, which aims to link doctors' pay to performance targets, will have 'major consequences' for them. For example, the Fort Chambly clinic warns that 'several of [its] doctors are actively considering their future.' 'It is important for us to inform you of this, as these decisions could directly affect you,' the letter states. 'I don't like threats,' Minister Dubé commented briefly on Wednesday. The day before, he had asked the College of Physicians to investigate whether this was a concerted action by the clinics, which the College agreed to do. 'Any disinformation tactic is reprehensible,' said Vincent Marissal of Québec Solidaire at a news conference. 'There are things in these letters that are not true ... These clinics must retract their statements, because they are scaring people.' He deplores the fact that clinics have suggested that patients will lose their doctors if they are not in the same region. 'There will be grandfather clauses. If you already have a doctor in Laval but live in Ahuntsic, you will keep your doctor,' he said. 'Any exploitation of patients for political purposes ... is to be prohibited,' said Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Paradis. Since it was tabled on May 8, Bill 106 has triggered outrage. The two medical federations, as well as the College of Physicians, have condemned the bill in a parliamentary committee, urging the government to do its homework again. Doctors argue that by seeking to increase volume, the government will undermine the quality of care. They also deplore the imposition of performance targets when they have no control over factors like the availability of operating rooms. After promising a doctor for every Quebecer, the Coalition Avenir Québec government now aims to have every person covered by a 'healthcare environment' by 2026. Approximately 1.5 million Quebecers do not have a designated doctor or healthcare professional. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French May 28, 2025. By Caroline Plante, The Canadian Press
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Talks stall between Quebec doctors, health minister on Bill 106
Doctors, foreground, sit a a legislature committee studying the remuneration of doctors at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/ The Canadian Press) Conversations between Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé and the province's medical federations are stuck at a standstill. Both sides remained stubborn on Tuesday at the opening of consultations on Bill 106, which would change the way doctors are paid. Dubé's plan is to link up to 25 per cent of their remuneration to performance indicators, which have yet to be determined. The idea has been criticized by doctors, who argue that the government is moving towards a fast-food approach to medicine. Christian Dube Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube speaks at a legislature committee studying the remuneration oof doctors, at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) In addition, the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ) and the Federation of Medical Specialists of Quebec (FMSQ) have stated that if the government wants doctors to do more, it must provide them with resources, such as operating theatres. They warned that Dubé's Bill 106 undermines motivation, which could lead to an exodus of doctors from the province. According to FMOQ, 22 per cent of general practitioners are over 60. Pascale Breault, Marc-Andre Amyot, Isabelle Gaston, Benoit Heppell. Doctor Marc-Andre Amyot, president of the federation of general practicians (FMOQ) speaks at a legislature committee studying the remuneration of doctors, at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Dr. Pascale Breault, from the left, Marc-Andre Amyot, Dr. Isabelle Gaston and Dr. Benoit Heppell. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) Bill 106 was tabled on May 8, amid negotiations to renew the framework agreement with two medical federations. Dubé has not ruled out passing the legislation under a gag order. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 27, 2025.
CTV News
20-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘More projects than dollars': the complicated balancing act of managing Quebec's public finances
It was a surprise to many Quebecers when the provincial government reversed course earlier this month and said it had somehow found money for the badly needed repairs at Montreal's Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. The province had initially postponed the construction project, citing budgetary constraints, but all that changed when Health Minister Christian Dubé said on May 6 that the government had found the necessary funds after all. So, how does a government, especially one that is facing a historic deficit forcing it to rein in spending, decide how to fund one project over another? 'The first thing I would say is there are always way more projects than dollars,' said former Quebec MNA Geoff Kelley. Former Quebec MNA Geoff Kelley Former Quebec Liberal MNA Geoff Kelley speaks to CTV News on May 17, 2025. (CTV News) Kelley, who served as Minister of Indigenous Affairs for the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) from 2011 to 2012 and from 2014 to 2018, says he knows what it's like to be in government and plead for funding for worthwhile projects. 'It's a very complicated process, but you try to be the best informed possible, and then you go to bat, and sometimes you win and sometimes you don't win, then that's part of the game as well,' he said. According to Concordia University economics professor Moshe Lander, coming up with a budget is often a straightforward exercise, since the majority of the funds are predetermined for major sectors like health care and education, plugged in from the last budget. Things get complicated, however, when deciding where discretionary spending goes. One factor governments often consider when making these difficult choices is the marginal benefit versus the marginal cost. Take, for example, the 2025-2026 budget announced in March when the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government set aside the same amount of money ($25 million) for the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) as it did for extending support to welcome Ukrainians in Quebec ($25.4 million) It also earmarked $24 million for programs to develop tourist attractions, which is the same amount it said it would spend to hire more wildlife protection officers. 'If the marginal benefit is not equalized across these two projects, then you should be reallocating your budget to the one that delivers the greater bang for your buck. So, that's the simple economics of it,' said Lander, who also served as a senior economist with Ralph Klein's Progressive Conservative government in Alberta. Moshe Lander Moshe Lander is a senior lecturer of economics at Concordia University. (CTV News) Nevertheless, there are unavoidable political considerations that come into play. Lander says public pressure can have a huge influence on where taxpayer money flows. 'If they realize that this one group is going to scream unless we give them everything that they want, sometimes they end up getting more than what they deserve merely as a means of shutting them up,' he explained. 'You're well behaved and you're quiet, then you're not going to get as much money as you might otherwise deserve because you're not creating a fuss about it.' The government's about-face on the Montreal hospital came after weeks of mounting pressure from union groups and opposition parties that boiled over when the facility was plunged into darkness after its backup generators failed during a powerful storm, leading to several cancelled surgeries. Even then, the province didn't confirm the total budget for the project, aside from announcing approximately $90 million for the hospital's parking lot. Quebec's largest health care union, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), was quick to point out what it called the 'very political timing' of announcing new funding for not just the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, but others as well. 'With an upcoming byelection in Victoriaville, suddenly the renovations at the Hôtel-Dieu d'Arthabaska Hospital are back on track,' the union argued on May 6. 'It's not the state of the walls determining the government's priorities, it's their electoral agenda. And that is deeply concerning,' added FIQ President Julie Bouchard. Was the spending worth it? The government faces scrutiny not just for what it doesn't pay for, but also for projects that it does decide to fund. Back in the fall of 2023, the CAQ was heavily criticized for allocating upwards of $7 million for the L.A. Kings to play a pair of exhibition games in Quebec City. Premier François Legault defended the move back then, saying, 'it's important to invest in leisure, whether it's sports or culture.' Last week, La Presse reported that the total subsidy ended up being $5.6 million. Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard speaks at a news conference, in Quebec City, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, as Luc Robitaille, president of the Los Angeles Kings, left, looks on. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot Was it worth it, economically speaking? There's no clear answer. CTV News asked Quebec City what the impact of the two hockey games, held in October 2024, was in terms of money brought to the local economy. A spokesperson for the city said it wasn't evaluated and referred questions to the provincial government. A spokesperson for Finance Minister Éric Girard initially told CTV News that, 'the spin-offs are long-term: we're reminding the hockey world that Quebec is a destination of choice, with first-rate infrastructure, history and fans second to none.' When pressed again for a dollar figure on the economic impact of the two games, the spokesperson said in an email, 'we don't have the number.' Similarly, Quebec's tourism ministry could not say what the economic impact was following the 2024 Presidents Cup golf tournament in Montreal, held last September with a $6.5-million provincial government subsidy, which was also criticized. Tourism Quebec said in an email last week that the analysis is 'ongoing.' 'There is a general argument that these kinds of glamorous events, if I can put it that way, put Montreal or put the province of Quebec on the map, and they deserve support,' Kelley said, with the caveat that, in his view, taxpayer money should not have paid for the L.A. Kings exhibition games. 'I think [that] was pretty soundly criticized as unnecessary,' he said. Spending got out of hand after the pandemic: MEI The province's March budget forecasted a $13.6 billion deficit, one of the largest in Quebec's history. In the weeks following the announcement, the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) released a report that found that the provincial government could have been in a surplus in the previous two years had the province slashed spending once the COVID-19 health crisis was over. Gabriel Giguère Gabriel Giguère, a senior policy analyst at the MEI. (CTV News) 'This deterioration of public finances could have been avoided if the government had reduced spending after the pandemic, instead of maintaining it at its extraordinary level,' the report stated. Gabriel Giguère, a senior policy analyst at the MEI who authored the report, said the Legault government went into what is called the 'ratchet effect' trap, in which the size of government and the money it spends fail to wind down once a crisis is over. 'The government never made that cut after that explosion of spending,' Giguère said in a recent interview. He said he believes the province could have found ways to lower spending by reducing the size of administrative positions in the public service and reassessing subsidies given to private enterprises. Quebec is now hoping to balance the budget by 2029-2030. Lander says one of the likely options is to cut spending, as it will become a question of the premier going to his MNAs and asking, 'Which one of you is going to give up the hospital, which one of you is going to give up the university, which one of you is going to give up the bridge repairs that I promised, and which one of you is safe enough that you can go back to your voters and say, 'I know we promised, but these are exceptional circumstances?''
