In a decisive move to address the province's healthcare access crisis, Quebec's family doctors have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new agreement with the provincial government. The deal, which received 97 per cent support from voting physicians, is designed to fundamentally change how general practitioners are compensated and incentivize them to take on a significant number of new patients.
Landmark Agreement to Expand Patient Access
The Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ) announced the ratification results on Friday, December 19, 2025. The central promise of the pact is to "encourage" doctors to register an additional 500,000 Quebecers who currently do not have a family physician. This would mark a substantial step toward reducing the lengthy waitlists for primary care that have plagued the province's healthcare system for years.
The agreement comes after significant tension, including a large-scale, concert-like protest by Quebec doctors against the original Bill 2 at Montreal's Bell Centre on November 9, 2025. The controversial legislation sought to alter the physicians' payment model, prompting widespread opposition from the medical community.
Financial Details and Key Concessions
Leaked details last week revealed that the new agreement involves $434 million in new government spending spread out until 2028. Crucially, the deal represents a notable shift from the government's earlier hardline positions on financial incentives for doctors. While the full text of the agreement has not been made public, the FMOQ's statement confirms it includes significant modifications to the initial proposals.
A key outcome of the ratification is the delayed implementation of Bill 2. The controversial legislation will now be put on hold until the changes negotiated in this new agreement are formally enacted, effectively shelving the original government plan that doctors had protested.
Specialists Still Negotiating
While family doctors have reached a consensus, the province's specialist physicians remain at the bargaining table. Quebec's specialist doctors' federation has yet to finalize its own agreement with the government, indicating that the broader overhaul of physician compensation and healthcare delivery in the province is still a work in progress.
The overwhelming 97 per cent vote in favour signals strong, unified support from Quebec's general practitioners for this new path forward. The focus now shifts to the practical rollout of the agreement's measures and whether it will successfully achieve its goal of connecting hundreds of thousands of Quebecers with a family doctor in the coming years.
