Quebec government, specialist doctors to resume talks next week

Dr. Vincent Oliva, president of the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists (FMSQ), at a press conference in Quebec City on May 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

The Legault government and the Quebec Federation of Specialist Doctors (FMSQ) have decided to resume negotiations next week.

Both parties confirmed Friday afternoon that talks would resume after discussions held earlier in the week.

Treasury Board President France-Élaine Duranceau and FMSQ President Dr. Vincent Oliva spoke by phone on Thursday.

“During this call, and in light of the discussions held earlier this week, we agreed that the conditions were right for resuming negotiations to renew our framework agreement,” Dr. Oliva wrote on Facebook.

“Starting next week, our teams will work tirelessly with a single goal in mind: to reach an agreement in principle that is beneficial to all parties, with the aim of providing better care for our patients,” he added.

Last Tuesday, Dr. Oliva and other members of the FMSQ also met with Duranceau and the new Minister of Health, Sonia Bélanger.

“Work is continuing to improve access for Quebecers. Out of respect for the process, we will not be making any further comments,” Duranceau said on social media on Friday.

The president of the FMSQ said he had been given a mandate to resume negotiations with the government following an “in-depth discussion” with the association presidents.

The majority of the members of the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (Quebec Federation of General Practitioners) accepted the agreement in principle reached last December with the government.

This agreement in principle provided for the removal of several elements of Bill 2 that doctors strongly opposed. These included performance-related penalties, color-coding, and all provisions that prohibited doctors from taking “concerted action” under penalty of heavy fines.

- With information from Katrine Desautels

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 23, 2026.