Medical specialists snubbing Quebec

Medical specialists are turning their backs on Quebec in search of bigger paycheques, but there's little the government can do to lure them to la belle province, says Quebec's health minister.

Ever since a controversial law forcing a work contract on medical specialists was passed in June 2006, an increasing number of doctors are considering setting up shop anywhere but Quebec.

Under Bill 37, Quebec specialists make abouttwo-thirds of what their counterparts earn in other provinces. A Quebec specialist earns an average of $233,000, compared to the national average of $343,000.

That discrepancy in earning power has convinced many doctors to think about moving, according to a recent survey by the Quebec Medical Association.

The provincial association polled 507 doctors in August, including 382 specialists. Nearly a quarter of them said they are seriously weighing the option of relocating to another province in the next five years.

If that happens the exodus could shake Quebec's health system, which is already burdened by a shortage of medical specialists. But the province just doesn't have enough money to match salaries in other provinces, said Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard.

"We can reach an understanding, even in the state of our public finances, on the question of pay equity but it will never be complete equity," said Couillard. "It will always be another reality, which is the taxpayers' capacity to pay [for specialists]."

Medical specialists who want to work in Quebec are changing their plans because of the salary cap. Deborah Robertson is a bilingual obstetrician and gynecologist who grew up in Quebec City and did her medical training at McGill University.

Robertson currently works in Toronto, where she's getting surgical training. For a long time Robertson planned to move back to Montreal with her husband, who is an anesthesiologist. They both had jobs lined up and have family in Montreal.

But those plans have been shelved for the moment, said Robertson. "I love Quebec, I love working in Quebec and I really would love to go back. [But] the introduction of Bill 37 for me [has] been quite discouraging."

For Robertson, the prospect of earning much less than her peers in Ontario or British Columbia is a potential deal breaker. "It's going to be a factor when I decide where I'll establish my practice."