Quebec City, 14 May 2025 — The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ has reacted with anger and dismay to the audit report revealing the monumental failure of the SIFARH project, the new payroll system for the healthcare network. While the government continues to go over budget—spending over $430 million on a system that cannot even properly pay the premiums promised to healthcare professionals—these professionals continue to pay the price for incompetent management.

“This is not a technological problem, it’s an issue of priorities. Healthcare professionals signed their collective agreement in December 2024, and many have still not received the premiums they are owed. Meanwhile, the government is sinking into another financial abyss that could reach nearly a billion dollars. It’s outrageous,” said Julie Bouchard, FIQ President.

The SIFARH project, sold as a solution to management and payroll problems in the network, is turning into a predictable fiasco, following in the footsteps of the infamous SAAQclic. Far from modernizing the network, it is exacerbating its operational problems, with delays of several years and ballooning budgets.

The IT system failures have very real repercussions for healthcare professionals. Despite the agreement signed more than five months ago, several negotiated premiums have still not been paid. These unacceptable delays undermine confidence in the Ministry of Health and Santé Québec and clearly demonstrate a lack of respect for the expertise of healthcare professionals, who are essential to the proper functioning of the network.

‘With every blunder, it’s the same old story: the government promises savings and efficiency, but healthcare professionals wait, burnout and have to fight to have their rights respected. This is no longer inefficiency, it’s contempt,” adds Julie Bouchard.

The FIQ is demanding immediate action. It demands, as a priority, the full and retroactive payment of premiums owed to healthcare professionals, with interest, as it is unacceptable that they are still waiting for what they are owed.

“We are also demanding clear and honest accountability for the financial fiasco of the SIFARH project. We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars going up in smoke, and that is unacceptable. The government must stop throwing money down the drain and urgently review its priorities. This money should first be used to help the people on the ground, those who are keeping the network running. Every dollar wasted on a poorly managed project is a dollar less for better care, better reception and, above all, decent working conditions for healthcare professionals,” concluded the president.

About the FIQ

The FIQ represents over 80,000 nurses, licensed practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists who work in healthcare institutions province wide. It is a feminist organization with a nearly 90% female membership, dedicated to defending its members and patients in the public health network.

For more information:

Philippe Desjardins, Union Consultant, Communication Service
Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ
Cell: 581-995-0762