Latest news with #QuebecSolidaire
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Sherbrooke MNA Christine Labrie won't run in next election
Sherbrooke MNA Christine Labrie announced on Saturday morning that she will not be seeking re-election at the end of her term. In a message posted on social media, Labrie said her hope for change has 'become too fragile' and she feels 'cynical' about what she sees in the National Assembly. 'Partisan politics are exhausting me, and I don't want to let that happen. I have to leave. I need to go and find my hope elsewhere before it dies out. I'm sure you will understand,' Labrie wrote. The Québec Solidaire (QS) MNA thanked voters for their renewed confidence over the past seven years. 'I will do everything I can to honour it until the end of my term, and then I will look for other ways to get involved in advancing the social project that you have seen me carry out since the beginning. I am sure I will find a way, because politics is not the only way to change things, as you show me every day,' Labrie said. QS co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal thanked abrie for her work within the party, while emphasising that she 'shares the sadness of Solidaire members across Quebec.' 'You have been a driving force in all our struggles, a valuable ally on all our issues and a strong voice on the issues that were close to both our hearts, such as education and women's rights,' Ghazal wrote on social media, addressing Labrie. Labrie was first elected as representative for the Sherbrooke riding in 2018. During her years with QS, she served as spokesperson for the second opposition group on women's issues, education and family matters. With a master's degree in history and a doctorate in women's studies from the University of Ottawa, Labrie was a lecturer at the University of Sherbrooke before her election to the National Assembly. Her announcement comes a few months after the party's former co-spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, stepped down. Nadeau-Dubois had been confronted with the surprise resignation of Émilise Lessard-Therrien. The former female spokesperson and MNA for Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue had slammed the door, citing her inability to bring about change in the party. Labrie had run for co-spokesperson, competing against hazal and Lessard-Therrien, who won the race. Labrie served as interim co-spokesperson after Lessard-Therrien's resignation, before Ghazal took office. A QS press officer said on Saturday that Labrie would not be giving any interviews about her departure until Monday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French June 7, 2025.
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
Global News
27-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Quebec family doctors speak out against new bill, say it will hurt the quality-of-care patients receive
Opposition continues to grow against Quebec's new legislation regulating family doctors. A group of family doctors spoke out against Bill 106 in Montreal on Monday, saying it will have a direct negative impact on the quality of care patients receive. 'This is very frustrating for us because we're just trying to do the best that we can with what we have,' said Dr. Nacim Kerouch, a family doctor at GMF-U Maisonneuve-Rosemont. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Under the new legislation, the health minister wants to link doctor pay to their performance in an effort to get them to see more patients. 'Everyone gives their 100 per cent, so when you hear that you're lazy, like, really? Do you think that we're lazy people? We did med school,' said Dr Sarah Giraldeau, medical director of GMF-U Maisonneuve-Rosemont Story continues below advertisement The family physicians joined forces with Quebec Solidaire MNAs to denounce Bill 106 on Monday. The doctors fear they'll be forced to spend less time with each person. 'I can't see a patient in 10 minutes, because in 10 minutes, the patient hardly has time to explain to me what the problem is,' said Giraldeau. For the full story, watch the video above.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Vet fees, no-pet clauses causing spike in abandonment as moving day looms
With just over a month to go before Quebec's annual moving day, shelters say they're already seeing a rise in the number of cat and dog abandonment. Vet fees, no-pet clauses, and lack of knowledge have all contributed to a spike in people seeking a way out of ownership, says the Montreal SPCA. No-pet clauses The Montreal SPCA is slated to host the 'Great March of United Families' on Sunday to highlight the issues that no-pet clauses in leases can lead to. It's an issue the SPCA and opposition party Quebec Solidaire have regularly highlighted in recent years. 'We see the growing problems caused by these extremely restrictive and arbitrary clauses on a daily basis,' said Montreal SPCA director of animal protection Sophie Gaillard. 'The impact is major, not only for the animals and the shelters, which are overflowing because of forced abandonments, but also for the families shattered by these abusive clauses, who contact us in distress when faced with heartbreaking choices.' The march is set to take place at 1 p.m. at Saint-Louis Square in Montreal. Cat care Brigitte Croteau, a volunteer at the Refuge Animex cat shelter, has fostered cats in the past, specializing in mother cats and kittens. She said the staff and volunteers see an average of two to five emails per day asking for the shelter to take cats. 'What we see, that we didn't see as much before the pandemic, is a lot of people who can't keep their cats because of vet fees,' she said. 'The cat is sick, they don't have the money to take care of their cat [and] we sometimes have some clinics that contact us because they have a patient that the client cannot pay for their medical expenses.' Stories of dog owners struggling to pay vet bills are not uncommon, but Croteau said that many cat owners seem blissfully unaware that they also come with responsibilities. 'The hardest is not the people that are trying to find a solution, and they don't want to get rid of their cat, but they don't know what to do,' she said. 'It's really people that get a cat, not fully aware of making sure the cat will be good, healthy for the rest of their life, because a cat is not just an object that you get them; it's cute, and that's it.' She said that though owners don't need to take their cats out or walk them like they do dogs, cats still require attention, care and interaction. 'A lot of people don't care about their cat that much,' said Croteau. 'They're like, 'Oh, well, I give them a place to live. I give them food.' No, you have to play with your cat. You have to take care of them. We have to interact with our cat. So, yes, it's less work, but still, you need to be there for your cat.' Croteau, like the SPCA and other shelters, recommends pet insurance for any animal because vet fees have increased by around 50 per cent since the pandemic. 'If you don't have $2,000, $3,000, even $5,000 on the side in case of emergency, take some insurance because we still see a lot of cats being put down because the owner doesn't have the money to take care of them, and we shouldn't have to do that,' she said. Vulnerable people hurt most The SPCA said single people, children and the elderly are among those being forced to abandon their animals. The non-profit says that victims of domestic abuse, as well as people suffering from loneliness, who see their pet as daily support, are among those for whom the idea of leaving a pet behind is unthinkable. The Quebec Association of Veterinarians (AMVQ) said that around 33 per cent of households in the province have at least one cat, while the number reporting two or more has dropped to a four-year low of 11 per cent. The association said that the drop could be due to the significant rise in the cost of living, in addition to high vet fees, no-pet clauses and other issues. The SPCA says that losing either their home or animal companion is not a choice a vulnerable person should have to make. 'Our team is so frequently called on to deal with these issues by citizens in distress, and the impact on shelters is so significant that the SPCA considers this to be a priority issue at the provincial level,' said Gaillard. 'Some citizens are even telling us that a party's commitment to ban anti-animal clauses could influence their vote in the next provincial election.'
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
More than half of Quebecers want a new government come the next election: survey
Quebec Premier Francois Legault snaps at the Quebec Solidaire second Opposition during question period at the legislature in Quebec City, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)
