MONTREAL — The Quebec government wants a "revolution" and to offer nurses what they deserve, which is a better life and work environment, Premier François Legault said Saturday.
Legault issued a Facebook post commenting on a one-time bonuses plan intended to lure thousands of nurses back to the public sector from private placement agencies and retirement. The plan is also meant to convince part-time nurses to switch to full-time work.
"Money won't fix all the problems, but we think it will help us to curb the staff shortage in the short term," Legault said. "We have a duty to succeed with everything you do for us. We owe you that."
Quebec said on Sept. 23 the government is budgeting $1 billion to offer full-time nurses bonuses of up to $18,000 as it tries to prevent more of them from leaving the public health-care system and to entice those who have left to come back.
The plan, however, faced backlash from the largest Quebec nurses' union, which demands the elimination of mandatory overtime. The government has proposed to reduce it.
Legault said the financial incentives were only one part of the plan, but were crucial to prevent further nurses from leaving the industry.
"I know what's essential for you, it's not to have more money, it's the quality of life and work," Legault said on Facebook, adding that the goal is also to eliminate mandatory overtime.
Quebec is struggling with a shortage of more than 4,000 nurses which could worsen as health-care workers face suspension without pay if they are not fully vaccinated by Oct.15.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said on Sept. 23 in a news conference along with Legault the incentives will only be available to nurses who are fully vaccinated.
He said around 7,700 health-care workers in the province who are in regular contact with patients have not yet received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Quebec's health ministry also warned people to be aware of cellphone applications that deliberately try to mimic the look of the app used for the province's proof-of-vaccination system.
The ministry issued a release saying people have copied the visual developed for the VaxiCode app and succeeded in having look-alike products approved for download on Google Play.
The ministry said staff have contacted Google to have the phoney apps removed from the platform.
The release said the situation has no effect on the integrity or security of the two official government apps which are geared towards merchants and consumers, respectively.
The government said the official apps do not require access to a phone camera and do not contain ads. Anyone wanting to download the app should make sure to search for the exact "VaxiCode" name with no accents and no words before or after.
Meanwhile, Quebec reported 795 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with five more deaths related to the novel coronavirus.
Health authorities said hospitalizations rose by three from Friday’s levels to 301, while the number of patients in intensive care dropped by one to 90.
The Health Department said of the latest reported infections, 567 were among people who were either unvaccinated or who had only received a first dose within the past two weeks.
According to the province's public health institute, about 89 per cent of Quebecers aged 12 and older have received at least one dose, while 83 per cent are considered fully vaccinated with two shots.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2021.
Virginie Ann, The Canadian Press
