Quebec City, 16 October 2025 — The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec–FIQ strongly denounces the Legault government’s decision to authorize patients who have been waiting for surgery for over a year to go to the private sector. For the FIQ, this measure amounts to an admission of failure from Minister Christian Dubé to repair the public network and is one step further toward the veiled privatization of health care in Quebec.

Hundreds of patients have been waiting a long time for surgery in part because of the exodus of healthcare professionals and doctors to the private sector. These Quebeckers pay taxes and expect the public system to take care of them within a reasonable timeline. Instead of tackling the issues underlying the wait times, the government is choosing to sidestep the problem by opening the door to the private sector, which further destabilizes the public network.

“The ‘transitional measure’ the minister is proposing is in reality the abandonment of the public network, transferring patients—and therefore public funds—to the private sector. It’s a complete sellout disguised as a temporary solution,” laments Julie Bouchard, president of the FIQ.

As the Federation sees it, sending patients to the private sector after a year of waiting is the same as institutionalizing the fact that the government is no longer able to provide care on time for its population. This creates inequality among citizens and reinforces the idea of a two-tier healthcare system. “What the government is introducing is a kind of ‘medical Jordan rule’: if the government is unable to provide care within a reasonable time frame, it offloads its responsibility by sending patients to the private sector. It’s serious. It goes against the universality of care and it is the sign of a government that refuses to repair the public network,” said Ms. Bouchard.

For the FIQ, this measure is nothing but a band aid on a wooden leg. “We won’t rebuild a solid network by outsourcing surgeries. We rebuild by investing in teams, stabilizing staff and giving recognition to healthcare professionals. The government is doing the exact opposite,” lamented the FIQ President.

The FIQ deplores the fact that the government is repeating the same mistakes it made elsewhere: outsourcing its own expertise. In the IT sector, Quebec has repeatedly entrusted key projects to the private sector, with disastrous results: delays, cost overruns, faulty systems and loss of internal expertise. “After losing control of its IT systems, the government seems ready to lose control over its operating rooms. And yet, we know how this story will end: higher costs, less efficiency, and a weakened government,” warned Ms. Bouchard.

Under the guise of efficiency, the Legault government is gradually institutionalizing the idea that the private sector can ‘help’ the public sector, as it drains its resources and undermines its ability to take action. This pilot project, first in plastic surgery then orthopedics, will likely become permanent like so many other ‘temporary measures’ before it. “What we need is not to open the door even wider to private interests, it’s to give the public system back the resources to fulfill its missions. We won’t save health care with cheques, but with respect, stability, and recognition for those who keep it alive every day,” concluded the FIQ president.

About the FIQ

Created in 1987, the FIQ represents nearly 90,000 healthcare professionals (nurses, licensed practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists) who work in healthcare institutions throughout Quebec. A feminist organization made up of nearly 90% women, the FIQ is dedicated to defending the rights of its members while safeguarding the quality of care provided to the population and the sustainability of the public health system.