Canadians are stereotyped as being nice but a recent development takes it to another level. Canadian doctors are protesting for receiving pay raises that they believe they shouldn't get. More than 700 doctors in Quebec signed a petition protesting the raise.
The doctors are asking for their pay raises to be canceled.
Médecins Québécois
The online petition created at the end of February argues that the pay raises are not in line with the doctors' beliefs. They are opposing the pay raises as nurses, clerks, and other healthcare professionals are facing difficult working conditions.
In the petition, doctors cite that there have been cuts to health services in recent years, with more power going to the Ministry of Health and Social Services. What may be immune to the cuts that have been passed to health services are the doctors' salaries.
Doctors ask that the pay increase be canceled so that the funds could be used elsewhere in the health system to alleviate the cuts that have been passed.
"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," says the online petition signed by the doctors.
Quebec Health Minister Gaétan Barrette responded to the doctors' wishes to give up the pay raises but it's still not seen whether the petition is popular among all doctors.
"If they feel they are overpaid, they can leave the money on the table," said Barrette speaking to the CBC. "I guarantee you I can make good use of it."
Quebec Healthcare Problems
Quebec has been having problems with another one of its healthcare group of workers nurses. In January, a post by Quebec nurse Émilie Ricard went viral in which she described her working conditions. Ricard describes herself after a night where she worked covering over 70 patients by herself.
In the post, she describes the stress that her work environment created, to the point where she was so sore that she had trouble sleeping. Ricard also talks about the difficulty in seeing patients that she knew were receiving subpar healthcare due to the way nurses are being overworked.
A nurse union in Quebec is pushing for changes to the way nurses are treated. The province is currently experiencing a shortage of nurses. Nurses also want to cap the number of patients that could be seen by one nurse. They have also staged sit-ins to protest the treatments of nurses by the health ministry in Quebec.
"There's always money for doctors, she says, but what about the others who take care of patients?" said Nancy Bédard, the president of Quebec's nurse union.
