CMEDIA: As a major blow to Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party, Christian Dubé has resigned from his position as Quebec’s Minister of Health and will sit as an independent MNA.
The announcement made Thursday afternoon in a resignation letter he shared on social media.
“Under the current circumstances, this is a difficult decision that I am making for the good of patients, physicians, and the healthcare network,” he wrote in the letter.
Citing the tumultuous negotiations, his lengthy post says, with the doctors’ federations in recent weeks was one of the reasons for reaching his decision to step down.
He also Acknowledged that “we made mistakes” and that the government “did not always clearly communicate the objectives of Bill 2 to patients or physicians.”
The process of adopting Bill 2, the controversial doctor remuneration law under closure in October was triggered by the CAQ to ensure the bill was passed swiftly with limited debate.
Bill 2 meant that a portion of doctors’ salaries would go towards meeting certain performance targets, including seeing more patients.
It also included steep fines for medical professionals who challenged the new policy.
Denounced by medical professionals both inside and outside Quebec, it sparked doctors leaving the province seeking work in other provinces.
An agreement in principle with the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ) was reached last week to delay and amend the contentious legislation, undoing a number of elements Dube had strongly defended.
Dubé said, after careful consideration, he decided that “I am no longer the right person to continue these discussions and lead the rewriting of Bill 2.”
Dubé had ‘one of the most demanding positions,’ Legault says
Premier Legault said he accepted Dubé’s resignation at 2 p.m. Thursday.
“I thank him for his years of public service in one of the most demanding positions in Quebec. Our government remains fully committed to improving access to health care for the population. This has always guided our actions, and we will continue our work in this direction,” Legault said on X.
Although FMOQ members are currently holding a vote to ratify the tentative agreement, Dubé said “it essentially maintains the status quo on governance issues” between the government, the federation, and medical directors in the health-care system.
“The tone adopted at the beginning of the discussions did not always promote constructive dialogue with physicians. For several months, the medical federations, for their part, focused primarily on defending their own interests rather than addressing all the issues affecting patients and physicians. Together, these dynamics contributed to a climate of confrontation that unfortunately intensified over the months,” he wrote in the resignation letter.
“Ultimately, incomplete and sometimes inaccurate information circulated and fueled legitimate concerns among physicians, in GMFs, and among the general public. This weakened the climate within the network,” he added.
“I fully accept my share of responsibility for this situation.”
