The Quebec government has announced a new tentative agreement with the Regroupement Les sages-femmes du Québec (RSFQ). This agreement spans six years, covering the period from the expiration of the last agreement in 2024 through 2030. This agreement applies to more than 300 midwives in the health and social services network, the government stated in a press release issued Friday evening. It maintains that “in addition to improving their working conditions and promoting the retention and development of expertise, the agreement will enhance the services offered and facilitate access, particularly to prenatal care and childbirth services.” RSFQ members have yet to vote on the agreement’s terms, which is why the details of the document remain confidential for now. Among other things, the midwives were seeking attendance bonuses for deliveries and responsibility bonuses for department heads. Since the 2023 health-care system reform, midwives have been part of the Council of Physicians, Dentists, Pharmacists, and Midwives; a structure that imposes a certain hierarchy on them, along with expanded roles as department heads, as Magali Letarte, spokesperson for the RSFQ’s mobilization committee, explained in June during an interview with The Canadian Press. Accessibility in the regions was also among the RSFQ’s concerns. -- With reporting by Julia Myles, The Canadian Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 5, 2026.
