Agreement with the doctors: Couillard calls into question the self-administration of payroll and the principle of fairness with regard to the Ontario

File Photo, Simon Clark
Couillard is questioning the self-administration of the payroll by the federations and the principle of fairness with regard to Ontario.

Charles Lecavalier

Friday, 9 march, 2018 09:01

UPDATE
Friday, 9 march, 2018 09:09

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Philippe Couillard is questioning the self-administration of the payroll by the medical federations and the principle of pay equity compared to Ontario, although he came to sign an agreement that perpetuates these privileges.

“There are two legitimate questions to ask for the next few years. The question of the self-administration of the masses [salary] by the federations and also the principle of fairness external, but we will not reopen the negotiations just to close, let’s be clear on that,” said the prime minister on Friday, during the press briefing of the close of its week-long mission in France.

In effect, the government Couillard has just signed with the doctors and specialists agreement, which includes self-administration of payroll and the catch-up salary compared to physicians in Ontario. “We can’t do everything at the same time,” he justified.

Recall that, according to this agreement, the canadian Institute for health information will be responsible for checking whether a pay gap exists between specialists in québec and ontario. If that was the case, a board of settlement would determine the gap to be addressed. However, Quebec could decide how to settle the difference.

If, however, the study revealed that doctors in quebec are better paid than their counterparts in ontario, the agreement would not be reopened for their remuneration to be reduced.

Today, Mr. Couillard is squarely on this principle that he supported yet until recently. “We will continue to declare that it is dependent on what happens elsewhere to the remuneration of doctors? I think these are legitimate questions to ask”, he said.

Mr. Couillard added that one could always ask these questions “between the two negotiations,” because of the ongoing negotiations are taking place with the medical federations. “But we should not expect this to be of subjects which are easy. It is, possibly, of the issues on which the government can decide”, said the prime minister.

Mr. Couillard was responding to the discontinuation of the “premium cover”, given to doctors who donned gloves, mask and jacket to see a patient isolated. This bonus was deducted from the total reward package for doctors, but chosen by the Federation of medical specialists. He congratulated the FMSQ and asks him now to invest that money to improve access to care.

He also mocked the 750 quebec physicians who have signed a petition against the wage increases which they continue to benefit. The complaints of these doctors have been times in The World in France and in the Washington Post in the United States. “We expect the cheques”, he launched.