As part of the Quebec government’s 2026-2027 pre-budget consultations, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ submitted a brief to the Finance Minister to voice its concerns about the announcement to limit the health and social services network’s expenditure growth to 2.1%.

With the growing needs of the population and ongoing labour shortages, Quebec’s next budget should avoid any cuts and cover the entire increase in spending in order to ensure care continuity and safety.

Recent experience shows that budgetary instability and restriction announcements have a direct impact on staff confidence, institutional planning and the quality of public services. The FIQ has identified several priority areas for strengthening the public network in the long term:

• increased investment in front-line services, particularly by reviving CLSCs and home care;
• the full deployment of the scope of practice of healthcare professionals; and
• a significant reduction in the use of the private healthcare sector.

Furthermore, the transition to Santé Québec must respect the spirit of decentralization provided for by law, without placing additional financial pressure on institutions, and must be accompanied by concrete measures to counter work overload, strengthen occupational health and safety prevention, and gradually introduce safe ratios. These decisions are key to ensuring staff attraction and retention and guaranteeing the future of a strong and accessible public network.