Canadian doctors don't want their pay raises, say money should go to nurses and lowered health-care costs


It's not often that an employee complains of being paid too much, but a group of more than 700 medical professionals in Canada are living up to their country's ultra-nice reputation. The doctors are protesting a scheduled pay raise, CNN reported Thursday, requesting that the money instead be redistributed to nurses' salaries as well as to lower costs for patients.
Physicians, specialists, resident doctors, and medical students in Quebec have signed an online petition stating that they don't want the $700 million worth of raises they were given last month as a result of negotiations with the provincial government.
"We, Quebec doctors, are asking that the salary increases granted to physicians be canceled and that the resources of the system be better distributed for the good of the health-care workers and to provide health services worthy to the people of Quebec," reads the petition, posted by a Quebecois health advocacy group.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The doctors pointed out that other health-care workers have faced drastic cuts in recent years, making working conditions more difficult for nurses, clerks, and hospital staff. "The only thing that seems to be immune to the cuts is our [salaries]," the doctors say, per the petition.
Physicians in Canada are paid an average salary of $260,000, while The Washington Post reports specialists make around $403,000 a year. A Quebec labor organization, by contrast, says nurses make around $50,000 per year. Quebec's health minister told CBC News that doctors are welcome to "leave the money on the table" so that it can be used elsewhere.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
RFK Jr.: A new plan for sabotaging vaccines
Feature The Health Secretary announced changes to vaccine testing and asks Americans to 'do your own research'
-
Education: Can public schools be religious?
Feature A Supreme Court seems ready to rule in favor of religious charter schools in Oklahoma, which could reshape public education
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine