Slowdown of digital health record rollout: Christian Dubé vows to crack down on doctors

Health Minister Christian Dubé during Question Period on Oct. 9, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

Health Minister Christian Dubé is now promising to crack down on doctors who may have slowed the rollout of Quebec’s Digital Health Record (DSN).

He made the comments late Friday night during the accelerated adoption of special legislation that imposes a new pay model on doctors and puts an end to their pressure tactics.

Dubé was responding to a question from Québec solidaire MNA Vincent Marissal, who wanted to know whether refusing to take part in the DSN rollout would be considered a “sanctionable” action in his view.

“Doctors who refuse to take part in a pilot project because the chosen product is defective and the government hasn’t provided adequate training — does that qualify as a sanctionable professional slowdown?” Marissal asked.

“I think I know the case you’re referring to, and I believe measures will be taken regarding actions from the past, which don’t date from the current period we’re talking about,” Dubé replied.

Marissal then asked for clarification, saying he didn’t understand what the minister meant.

“What I’m telling you is that right now, the pressure tactics that caused the DSN to be stopped — there will be actions taken specifically for that,” Dubé continued.

“There will be other actions taken specifically regarding the DSN,” he repeated.

On Oct. 2, Santé Québec announced that the DSN pilot projects planned for this fall in the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and in Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec had been postponed.

An irritated Dubé later told the National Assembly several times that the doctors’ pressure tactics were entirely to blame for putting the DSN rollout on hold.

“It’s only because of that that the project has been delayed,” he said on Oct. 7, referring to the medical federations’ decision to boycott DSN-related working meetings.

On Monday, Dubé’s office sought to soften the minister’s comments from Friday night.

According to Dubé’s communications director, Catherine Barbeau, there was never any question of sanctioning “past actions.”

“Pressure tactics aimed at delaying the DSN rollout are among the actions covered by the law,” Barbeau told The Canadian Press.

“The goal remains to get everything back to normal quickly, without having to impose sanctions.

“The DSN is essential for ensuring that health professionals have the right information at the right time, which allows for better organization and more coordinated care,” she added.

‘Witch hunt’

Marissal, however, accused Dubé of launching a “witch hunt.”

“I found his tone threatening. It was like, ‘There’s a new sheriff in town, we’re going to catch them and punish them.’ It really sounded vindictive,” he said in an interview Monday.

Liberal health critic Marc Tanguay noted that the DSN had already faced problems before doctors began using pressure tactics.

“It was already poorly planned,” he said in an interview, recalling a Health Ministry error that failed to budget for staff training costs.

“What’s extremely concerning is that he’s given himself excessive powers to hit doctors over the head, instead of working on his own incompetence to deliver anything,” Tanguay said.

The special law adopted under closure early Saturday morning imposes heavy penalties on doctors who try to quit or slow their professional activities.

On Friday, Dubé clearly suggested he was considering other sanctions related to the DSN, according to Parti Québécois health critic Joël Arseneau.

“It’s very clear from Dubé’s comments that he admitted he wants to sanction doctors who, through pressure tactics, have — in his words — forced the DSN to stop. That’s what he said.

“The question is, on what basis, with what tools, and under what authority?” Arseneau said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first in French published Oct.27, 2025.

By Caroline Plante