Paramedics in Quebec threaten to refuse to work overtime

An ambulance pulls into Sacre-Coeur Hospital in Montreal, Saturday, April 25, 2020. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Paramedics who are members of Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) affiliated unions are threatening to step up their pressure tactics.

Starting next Tuesday, they say they will refuse to work overtime in certain regions of Quebec.

The affected regions would be the southern Laurentians and Lanaudière areas, Greater Trois-Rivières, Portneuf, Capitale-Nationale, Charlevoix, and the middle and lower North Shore, the union specified.

The Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS), affiliated with the CSN, to which these unions belong, says it intends to proceed in stages.

That means their refusal to work overtime could spread to other regions in the future.

It remains to be seen how the affected employers will react to the pressure.

The phenomenon of “TSO” (mandatory overtime) also exists among paramedics.

The employer previously took matters to the Administrative Labour Tribunal, when paramedics stopped supervising trainees as a means of pressure.

As an additional means of pressure, the paramedics have said they will also refuse to work for private staffing agencies.

The Côte-Nord region, which is particularly hard-hit by a staffing shortage, is expected to be most severely affected, according to the FSSS.

Those paramedics have been on an indefinite strike for several months, but it has gone largely unnoticed by the public because most of their duties are considered essential services.

Intensive negotiations took place over four days in early June with government representatives, but they failed.

The issue of compensation is at the heart of the dispute.

The collective bargaining agreement expired on March 31, 2023, at the same time as those of other employees in the public and parapublic sectors.

The paramedic unions are active with Urgences-Santé, which serves Montreal and Laval, as well as with several regional ambulance companies and cooperatives.

However, some of these paramedics are members of separate labour unions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 19, 2026.