The Quebec government has made a significant move to de-escalate tensions with the province's medical professionals, announcing it will not enforce controversial surveillance measures included in its new health-care legislation. This marks the third major concession offered to doctors in as many weeks.
A Pledge of Good Faith
Health Minister Christian Dubé and Treasury Board President France Élaine-Duranceau made a joint announcement on Thursday, November 13, 2025. They stated that clauses in Law 2 which would have allowed government-appointed inspectors to monitor doctors' professional activities are being put on hold indefinitely.
"Because we want to do an act to get closer, the commitment we are making today is to say that it would never be applied," Minister Dubé declared during a morning news conference. He emphasized that the clause was included as a last-resort measure requiring a cabinet decree to activate, a power the government now vows never to use.
Mounting Pressure and Previous Concessions
This latest gesture is a direct response to widespread discontent among Quebec's approximately 23,500 doctors. The surveillance clause was a key point of contention, with medical federations calling for the entire law to be suspended.
The government's announcement follows a massive demonstration by doctors at Montreal's Bell Centre just days earlier, highlighting the depth of their opposition. This is the third olive branch extended by the Coalition Avenir Québec government in two weeks.
Previous concessions included suspending plans to abolish two key financial bonuses for doctors set for January 1, 2026:
- A bonus for medical specialists conducting a first appointment with a patient.
- A 30-per-cent fee for family doctors to cover administrative costs in group family medicine (GMF) clinics.
A Call to Return to the Table
The repeated concessions appear designed to create a more favourable climate for negotiations. Treasury Board President Duranceau explicitly invited the medical federations to resume talks, stating, "I invite the federations to come and sit down with us and discuss the application of the law."
Minister Dubé framed the move as "an act of good faith a little like the others we have done over the last few weeks," signaling the government's desire to end the standoff and collaborate with healthcare professionals on the implementation of the law.
