“I don’t think we can say that patients are winning because we’re basically keeping the status quo,\u201d said Olivier Jacques, a professor at the Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al’s school of public health who followed the negotiations closely.<\/p>\n
Prof. Erin Strumpf, a health economist at McGill University, also believes little has changed under the new deal and access to primary care is likely to remain a challenge for Quebecers.<\/p>\n
“It became a sort of an arm wrestling match between the heads of the physicians\u2019 unions and certain members of the government,\u201d Strumpf said. \u201cAnd I just keep asking, \u2018who’s out there planning and speaking on behalf of the Quebec public?\u2019”<\/p>\n
Doctors mobilized fiercely against the changes, holding rallies and capturing headlines with warnings of a doctor exodus. In contrast, the Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec (CAQ) government did a poor job of communicating the benefits of its reforms, effectively losing the battle for public opinion, Jacques said.<\/p>\n
![\"wide](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768228035_417_default.jpg\")
Thousands of doctors attended a rally at the Bell Centre in Montreal in November. (Graham Hughes\/The Canadian Press)The cost of peace<\/p>\n
The deal, ratified overwhelmingly by doctors in December, amounted to a retreat for the government\u2019s proposed reforms.<\/p>\n
Gone are the financial penalties linked to not meeting performance quotas, the “colour-coded” system for tracking patient vulnerability and the ban on doctors taking “concerted action.”<\/p>\n
Instead, the government accepted a plan based on incentives. The new target is for doctors to register 500,000 new patients \u2014 including 180,000 vulnerable ones \u2014 by June 2026. (The government had originally promised to provide access to the 1.5 million Quebecers who don\u2019t have a family doctor.) The deal also improves funding for telemedicine.<\/p>\n
The price tag is steep. The agreement includes a 14.5 per cent increase in total remuneration, at a cost of $435 million.<\/p>\n
It also shifts the payment model toward “capitation,” where 50 per cent of a doctor’s income is based on the number of patients on their roster rather than strictly fee-for-service.<\/p>\n
The group that represents family doctors, the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration des m\u00e9decins omnipraticiens du Qu\u00e9bec (FMOQ), said the agreement is a \u201cclear commitment to transforming front-line care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily physicians will be able to continue practising high-quality family medicine and focus on what they do best: caring for patients in Quebec,\u201d the FMOQ said in a statement last month.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767998770_25_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Some Montreal-area clinics say they may not close after all amid changes to doctor pay law<\/p>\n
After Quebec\u2019s controversial Bill 2 led to some clinics threatening or planning to close, and others dealing with doctors leaving, some now say they\u2019re reconsidering after the government agreed to both delay and significantly amend the law.Clinics breathe a sigh of relief<\/p>\n
On the ground, the immediate impact has been the survival of clinics that had threatened to close.<\/p>\n
The Tiny Tots pediatric clinic in Montreal’s C\u00f4te-des-Neiges had been set to shut its doors at the start of 2026. Spokesperson Oren Sebag says the facility has now found a way to stay open.<\/p>\n
“I think for now, we\u2019re cautiously optimistic,” Sebag said. “As long as it\u2019s been kind of put on hold, we\u2019re continuing to serve the residents and our families that have been trusting us for a long time.”<\/p>\n
Georges Zaarour, head of District Medical in Ahuntsic, which lost nine doctors last year during the height of the uncertainty, says the atmosphere has noticeably improved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re back to focusing on our patients and on the services that we’re providing them rather than focusing on, \u2018what’s my next career move?\u2019” Zaarour said.<\/p>\n
Political casualties<\/p>\n
The concessions were significant enough to spark a political exit at the highest level.<\/p>\n