Over the past few weeks, Outaouais has been hit hard by $90 million in budget cuts imposed by the Legault government. These austerity measures have already had real consequences: 102 filled positions eliminated, 600 vacant positions scrapped, and 25 managerial roles cut — all reducing the network’s capacity to provide essential care to our population.
And this is just the beginning.
At the end of March, the Girard budget announced health spending growth capped at 3%, far below what’s needed to maintain current services. Earlier in April, La Presse revealed that Santé Québec is facing a $3.6 billion shortfall for 2025–2026 — more than twice the $1.5 billion the government had asked it to cut last fall. Health Minister Christian Dubé even admitted that 3% growth in health spending won’t cover inflation or wage increases. That means, as he told the National Assembly, “real cuts.”
At SOS Outaouais, we believe the Legault government is abandoning Quebec’s health care system. By hiding behind the Santé Québec structure it created, the government is washing its hands of responsibility while imposing cuts that will have devastating impacts across all regions.
The system is already on life support — and they’re about to pull the plug. They want the public to believe this is responsible management. But these are disguised cuts. You can’t manage better with less: you end up doing less and doing it worse.
While the government claims these cuts are about improving efficiency, the reality is clear: past cuts have already weakened services, and the new wave threatens to make them collapse altogether.
Across Quebec, we see the effects — crumbling infrastructure, unacceptable wait times, and severe staff shortages. In Outaouais, where we’re already underfunded by $200 million each year, the damage will be even worse.
Jean Pigeon,
Spokesperson, SOS Outaouais
Gatineau
Ed. & trans.
Published in the Pontiac Journal on April 23, 2025.
