Local Journalism Initiative

Medical mutiny: chief physicians resign in protest of Bill 2

Tashi Farmilo

OUTAOUAIS - Several Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) physicians have resigned from administrative roles following the adoption of Bill 2, Quebec’s controversial health reform law, exacerbating existing service shortages in the region.

Pushed through without debate (under closure) on October 25, Bill 2 introduces changes to physician compensation and oversight. It ties part of doctors’ income to patient access targets and increases government control over medical practice. The law also includes penalties for doctors who engage in collective action, like coordinated resignations or refusing to supervise trainees.

Because of these penalties, many physicians are reluctant to openly object. Jean Pigeon, spokesperson for the advocacy group SOS Outaouais, said this has created uncertainty about who plans to remain in the public health system. According to Pigeon, five physicians have resigned from management positions, though clinical intentions remain unclear in some cases.

Dr. Éric Bégin resigned from his administrative role as Chief of Surgery. Dr. Trevor Hennessey is leaving both his clinical and administrative duties as Chief of Anesthesiology and plans to move to Ontario. Dr. Shelly Sud stepped down as Chief of Oncology. Dr. Lionel Ange Poungui resigned as Chief of Obstetrics-Gynaecology but continues seeing patients. Dr. Mustapha Chelfi, a radiation oncologist and one of the founders of the Gatineau Cancer Centre, is taking early retirement, citing exhaustion and disillusionment with the direction of government policy.

During a press conference in Gatineau on November 10, Dr. Hennessey described the collapse of a system long under strain. “We’ve witnessed amputation after amputation [of health services] in the region,” he said. “We lost thoracic surgery over 15 years ago, so we can’t care for lung cancer patients locally. We lost obstetrical services in Shawville. This August, we lost our only vascular surgeon. There’s really nothing left to amputate. The system here is dying.”

He criticized government leadership for failing to address long-standing issues, stating the problem isn't lack of money, but poor governance and lack of responsiveness.

Pigeon echoed those concerns and accused Premier François Legault and Health Minister Christian Dubé of turning the crisis into a political dispute. “They’ve made doctors the scapegoats for government failures,” Pigeon said. “Instead of listening, they’re blaming the people trying to keep the system running.”

In a public message, Santé Québec, the province’s newly established health-operations agency, acknowledged the law has caused anxiety in some areas and deteriorated work environments. It stated they're committed to ensuring continuity of services and minimizing impacts on patients. CISSSO declined to comment.

Dubé, who sponsored Bill 2, announced the government will suspend two of the law’s more contentious provisions: one that tied compensation to access targets, and another requiring doctors to request permission before working outside the public system. He described these changes as an effort to reopen dialogue with the medical community.

The Health Ministry said it's monitoring the Outaouais' situation closely and emphasized there's a difference between expressing the intention to resign and actually stepping down. It urged physicians to fully understand Bill 2 before making any decisions. The government added that it's maintaining regular dialogue with CISSSO administrators and physicians to find lasting solutions. Recent webinars were held to address concerns, and Minister Sonia Bélanger visited the region on November 10 to meet directly with community groups.

André Fortin, Pontiac MNA, warned the region cannot lose any more doctors. “This law is counterproductive. It’s not improving access to care—if anything, it’s doing the opposite,” Fortin said. “The government is blaming doctors for its own failures. Every time we lose a family physician, more than a thousand patients lose their doctor. Every time we lose a specialist, surgeries get delayed. It will take decades to rebuild what the CAQ is destroying in the Outaouais.”

At a November 10 press conference in Gatineau hosted by SOS Outaouais, Dr. Isabelle Gagnon, Dr. Cyril Barthélémy-Ducharme, Dr. Mustapha Chelfi, Dr. Trevor Hennessey, Dr. Lionel-Ange Poungui, Dr. Éric Bégin and spokesperson Jean Pigeon spoke out about the worsening health-care crisis in the Outaouais following the adoption of Bill 2.