Outaouais doctors optimistic after province reaches a tentative deal with family physicians
Ottawa — Family doctors in the Outaouais region are hopeful that a principle agreement between Quebec’s family doctors and the provincial government will help keep medical care professionals in the area. Yet some physicians caution that the deal falls short of fully countering the consequences of delayed legislative reforms.
Agreement in principle delays contentious reforms previously proposed in Bill 2
Jodie Applewaithe · CBC News
Posted: December 13, 2025, 4:00 AM EST | Updated 25 minutes ago
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Family physicians across the Outaouais are hopeful that a preliminary agreement between Quebec’s family doctors and the government will help retain practitioners in the region. However, several physicians indicate that the deal does not sufficiently address the effects of postponed reforms.
Bill 2, which would tie doctors’ pay to performance targets and has been a flashpoint since it was introduced, was slated to take effect on January 1. In response, hundreds of family doctors sought licenses to practice in Ontario.
- Over 260 Quebec doctors applied for Ontario licenses within weeks after Bill 2
The Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ) and the Quebec government reached a tentative agreement on Thursday, delaying the bill’s implementation to allow for several amendments.
- Quebec suspends penalties for family doctors and softens obligations tied to patient load under the tentative deal
- Family physicians reach a tentative agreement with Quebec over Bill 2
Details of the agreement were shared with FMOQ members during Friday morning webinars and obtained by CBC News.
“I think what we heard this morning is relief and hope that a path can be reopened,” said Dr. Emmanuelle Britton, a Gatineau-based family physician who attended one of the sessions. “We’ll be able to rebuild and restore trust, but we must stay on the course we heard today to make progress.”
Tentative agreement rolls back parts of Bill 2
The agreement in principle hinges on several amendments to Bill 2 that would take effect if doctors approve them.
- It would remove penalties for missing performance targets and for not following the reforms, and it would drop the obligation for provincial family doctor groups to accept the province’s estimated 1.2 million orphaned patients by January 2027.
- A new compensation framework would be introduced: 50% fixed per patient, 30% fee-for-service, and 20% hourly rate.
- The overall compensation envelope for family doctors would rise by 14.5% by 2028.
The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government pushed the bill back to February 28, and amendments would be implemented if the agreement gains doctor support. FMOQ members have until December 19 to vote on the deal.
Dr. Mélanie Lacasse, who has spent her entire career in Gatineau, emphasized the personal stakes of the deal.
“I think this is a good deal for us, for the government, but mainly for the patients,” she said. When Bill 2 was introduced, she considered moving her practice to Ontario. If the deal moves forward, she plans to stay and hopes others will follow.
“I’ve been here for 18 years, I’m attached to my patients and to my work family. I didn’t want to leave.”
Britton also noted that she had contemplated leaving the province and even applied for an Ontario license, where she began her career. If the agreement is approved, she intends to remain in Quebec.
The FMOQ issued a statement applauding Premier Legault’s active involvement to quickly intervene and curb the disengagement and departure of Quebec family physicians while increasing access to family medicine for residents. The federation described the agreement as a concrete step toward safeguarding the future of primary care in Quebec.
‘The damage has already been done,’ says advocate
Jean Pigeon, spokesperson for SOS Outaouais, a health-care advocacy group, questions whether it’s too late to reverse the effects of recent physician departures following Bill 2.
“We lost 41 family doctors; thousands of patients lost their doctors,” he said, citing figures from the Outaouais Department of Family Medicine. “The damage is done. We hope this helps, but we also want the government to focus on our region and provide the tools we need.”
Britton acknowledged the past few months have been devastating for the region, noting that many have suffered as a result of the bill’s passage.
Negotiations with Quebec’s medical specialists, who are also affected by Bill 2, are ongoing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jodie Applewaithe is an associate producer with CBC Ottawa. You can reach her at jodie.applewaithe@cbc.ca
With reporting from CBC’s Ottawa Morning and Radio-Canada’s Claudine Richard
