Industry Voices Concern Over healthcare Access

As Quebec phases out the use of private healthcare staffing agencies, concerns are mounting about the public system’s ability to adequately meet patient needs. Patrice Lapointe, president of the group representing private nursing staff companies in Quebec (EPPSQ), argues that the ban will ultimately impact the population negatively. He voiced his concerns in a recent interview, emphasizing the need for continued collaboration between private agencies adn the public network.

It is the population that makes the price in it and this is what we deplore.
Patrice Lapointe,president of the EPPSQ

Lapointe contends that the government is becoming accustomed to service disruptions,citing the temporary closure of the Notre-Dame Hospital’s birthing unit in montreal due to staff shortages as a prime example. Such closures, he warns, are becoming increasingly common across the province, not just in remote areas, and are a direct consequence of undervaluing the role private agencies play.

Union’s Shifting Stance Reflects Staffing Shortages

Initially a proponent of eliminating private agencies, the Quebec Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), a major healthcare union, has recently altered its position. The FIQ now expresses concern that the public system has not hired enough staff to compensate for the absence of agency personnel.This shift highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining adequate staffing levels within Quebec’s public healthcare system.

Lapointe suggests that the FIQ’s current predicament is a result of a flawed political strategy. He also points out that agency staff often fill crucial roles during less desirable shifts.

It was sadly a political strategy on the part of the FIQ, and they harvest its fruits today.
Patrice Lapointe, president of the EPPSQ

The Financial Implications of Overtime

A key argument against eliminating private agencies revolves around the potential increase in overtime costs within the public system. Lapointe argues that relying on mandatory overtime to cover staffing gaps is not only detrimental to employee well-being but also more expensive than utilizing agency staff. According to a 2024 study by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, overtime rates in healthcare can be up to 2.5 times the regular hourly wage, substantially impacting healthcare budgets.

“it will bring an explosion of additional time, compulsory additional time that exhausts employees of the public network, along with costing more than our companies. Because when you pay an employee in a double time, double and a half time with bonuses, I apologize, but it costs much more than an agency employee,” he explains.

Phased Implementation Across Quebec

The Quebec government’s plan to phase out private healthcare agencies is being implemented in stages. As of last Monday, the ban was in effect in Montreal, Laval, Montérégie, the Capitale-Nationale, and Chaudière-Appalaches regions. By the end of October 2025,Lanaudière,Mauricie and Center-du-Québec,Laurentides,Estrie,and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean will follow suit. The remaining regions, including Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Outaouais, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec, and nunavik, are scheduled to end their contracts with private agencies in October 2026.