New doctors forced to work in the public: potentially discriminatory, recognizes Legault

Force new doctors trained in Quebec to work in the public for a few years would indeed be discriminatory, recognizes François Legault. His government is still ready to move forward, by imposing the exemption clause.

The Prime Minister had considered such an avenue when he was Minister of Education at the turn of the 2000s.

“If we ask medical students to repay their tuition fees, if they want to move to Ontario or the United States, that puts young people who are poorer, who do not have the capacity to repay, in a different situation of young people who are richer, who are able to repay,” he summarized to journalists on Wednesday morning.

The measure would therefore have required the application of the notwithstanding clause at the time, since it could contravene section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Another time, other mores, François Legault now says he is ready to use it to protect the Minister of Health’s future bill from challenges in court.

“If necessary, we are ready to use the derogation clause,” assures the Prime Minister. It’s too important. We lack doctors, there is a shortage of doctors all over the world. Doctors who are trained at the expense of taxpayers in Quebec must practice in Quebec.”

Non-negotiable obligation

For the moment, Christian Dubé has not announced how he intends to force young doctors trained in Quebec universities to work in the public network during their first years of practice.

“We are looking at exactly: will there be penalties or would it be a non-disputable, negotiable obligation?” revealed Mr. Legault on Wednesday.

Mr. Dubé must table his bill before the holiday break.