MONTREAL — Quebec’s Minister of Health, Danielle McCann, has committed to correcting inequities in bonuses that have been paid to certain professionals who were recruited to fight the COVID-19 pandemic – but not all of them. Testimonies collected by The Canadian Press show that bonuses offered to healthcare employees working in hospital hot zones aren’t being paid to workers from different sectors, like social workers, special educators, physiotherapists, and others. These are workers whose services were sought to make up for the lack of personnel in long-term care homes and hospitals across Quebec. One of the bonuses, which can reach up to $1,000 per month (or even $3,000 per month for people outside of Montreal who come to the city to lend a hand) must be offered to all full-time long-term care home employees working in the hardest-hit locations. A decree adopted on May 10 specifies that for hospitals, premiums are intended solely for nursing staff, orderlies, respiratory therapists, assistants, and maintenance workers. In a letter sent to The Canadian Press, McCann said “In these specific cases, the bonuses are intended to promote stability and the continued service in job categories where there is a shortage of personnel. For the moment, there is therefore no question of extending these bonuses to other workers.” Professionals who don’t fit the criteria for the bonus but do the same work in hospital hot zones wrote to the “on vous écoute” email, which was created by the ministry to gather unfiltered information from the field. They obtained generic responses like this one, which confirms McCann’s response: “When they work in a hospital designated by health and social services, only people with certain jobs can benefit from the lump sums to which you refer. Unfortunately, the professionals listed in your email aren’t included and we understand the disappointment that you’re not eligible.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2020.
