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The Quebec government has temporarily shelved its plan to transfer organ and tissue donation responsibilities from Transplant Québec to Héma-Québec.
During a parliamentary committee meeting on Wednesday, Treasury Board President France-Élaine Duranceau tabled amendments to Bill 7 that will allow both entities to continue pursuing their respective missions independently.
“The goal was not to drive away Transplant Québec staff. To put everyone at ease, we are postponing this,” Duranceau said during the committee meeting.
Introduced in November 2025, Bill 7 aimed to save the province $35 million by eliminating 220 full-time positions, including about 100 within the health-care system.
While Duranceau argued the merger would improve state efficiency, public health experts criticized the proposal, fearing it would destabilize the specialized co-ordination of organ and tissue donations.
On Wednesday, Duranceau said discussions between the two organizations had been “heated” and described Transplant Québec as having “no appetite or openness” to collaborate.
“Héma-Québec was very proactive and proposed several avenues, whereas Transplant Québec was rather hesitant,” Duranceau noted, adding that she had met with leaders from both organizations before deciding to walk back the merger.
In a statement to Radio-Canada Thursday, Transplant Québec welcomed the minister’s decision to shelve the plan, adding the organization has worked to keep transplants safe and focused on patients’ needs for more than 55 years.
“Transplant Québec acted as a responsible and committed partner throughout the entire process,” Transplant Québec president Martine Bouchard said in the statement. “It remains essential that the minister recognize this contribution and allow for an open and constructive dialogue on the future of this vital sector.”
Liberal MNA André Fortin, leader of the Official Opposition, meanwhile, challenged Duranceau’s portrayal of the agency as unco-operative.
He questioned how the original plan would have improved the efficiency of organ donations and defended Transplant Québec.
“You cannot … ask an organization that basically thinks it will be abolished not to feel burned,” Fortin said during the committee meeting.