Quebec medical specialists announce legal challenge of new compensation law

The bill, which was fast-tracked through Quebec's legislature and adopted Saturday, prohibits doctors from using pressure tactics that could interfere with access to care.

Medical specialists in Quebec are planning a legal challenge to a recent law that imposes a new method of remuneration on physicians, which they say violates individual freedoms.

The bill, which was fast-tracked through Quebec’s legislature and adopted early Saturday morning, prohibits doctors from using pressure tactics that could interfere with access to care. In response, the Quebec federation of medical specialists says it will seek a stay of proceedings in Quebec Superior Court on Wednesday.

“When you analyze it properly, you realize that (the law) infringes on basic individual freedoms,” Dr. Vincent Oliva, the federation’s president, said Tuesday at a press conference in Quebec City.

Physicians who take “concerted action” to oppose the government’s policies could face severe penalties, including fines of up to $20,000 per day. Those actions could include groups of three or more doctors refusing to teach medical students or deciding to leave the public health system or move to another province.

Doctors have been up in arms since the bill was forced through the national assembly. After an initial demonstration on Sunday in Montreal, about 15 physicians showed up in front of the legislature on Tuesday morning with black tape over their mouths to protest the new law, known as Bill 2.

The mere act of inciting doctors to take action is now punishable by law, warned nephrologist Jean-François Cailhier.

“Bill 2 takes the concept of gagging to another level,” he said. “This is the first time that so many individual freedoms have been violated in this way …. It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

According to Dr. Cailhier, the mood among medical professionals is “gloomy.” “Many no longer even want to work,” he said.