Mario Dumont applauds Dubé's 10-billion-dollar doctor payout critique
Mario Dumont said Christian Dubé impressed him after the former health minister returned publicly Friday last week and said Quebec gives 20,000 doctors 10 billion dollars in remuneration. Dubé made the comments in an interview with Le Devoir, his first public remarks since his December 18, 2025 resignation from Quebec's Health Ministry.
He said the amount is a little less than 20 percent of the health budget and argued that Quebec is already in the wall financially. Dubé also linked his 68-page plan, Transformer le réseau de la santé. Le pouvoir réel d'améliorer l’accès au Québec, to the next round of negotiations with the medical federations in 2028.
Dubé's resignation and return
Dubé said he had not spoken to François Legault since his resignation in December 2025. He had served as minister of Health from June 2020 to December 2025, then returned to speak publicly on his last day as a member of the National Assembly on Friday last week.
In the interview, Dubé said he did not see himself leaving without taking part in a broader reflection on Quebec's health system. He said, “On se doit d’avoir cette réflexion-là, sociale, sociétaire. […] Je ne me voyais pas partir sans faire ça. Ça, pour moi, c’est clair. Je me sens tellement libéré.”
Le Devoir interview
Dubé used the interview to revisit the break with Legault over the doctors' file. He said, “Autant je respecte sa décision, autant j’avais le droit de dire: “Bien, moi, je ne suis pas à l’aise avec cette décision-là et je me retire”” after Legault chose another path than the one he had recommended.
He said the government was ready to go to court to defend its position. Dubé said he had recommended taking the legislative route if no agreement was reached, but Legault preferred another path, and that difference left him uncomfortable enough to resign.
Quebec health network plan
Dubé said he began working on the 68-page document in January. He said better access to information about the health network would help create a healthy public debate about new user contributions and would also help frame the 2028 negotiations with the medical federations.
He said the last negotiations with the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec did not even establish agreement on basic facts about doctors' work. Dubé summed up the starting point in blunt terms: “On est déjà dans le mur. On ne donne pas aux Québécois la qualité du service qu’ils payent.”
He also said, “On est rendus qu’on donne 10 milliards [de dollars en rémunération] aux médecins, pour 20 000 médecins. Ça représente un petit peu moins de 20 % du budget de la Santé. C’est énorme.” For Quebec patients, the document and the interview point to a coming debate over access, user contributions and how the province prepares for the 2028 talks.
