A BOLD IDEA FOR FEBUARY

Year after year, despite growing needs, funding for the public system is insufficient, unstable and unpredictable. This approach undermines planning, puts additional pressure on employees and compromises the quality and continuity of services to Quebecers. In 2026, the APTS is proposing a change of course to make health and social services non-negotiable priorities.

This requires setting up a budgetary shield, a mechanism that guarantees funding at a level that meets the real needs of Quebecers. It’s a responsible, necessary solution to ensure a public system that can fulfill its mission.

 

There's nothing complicated about a budgetary shield 

It’s a law forcing the government to fund health and social services at a level that meets Quebecers’ real needs. Every year, an independent agency assesses the budgetary impact of evolving needs, taking into consideration the aging population, inflation and changes in clinical practices. The finance ministry is then required, in its budget, to provide the funding that has been found to be necessary. The result: stable, predictable and sufficient funding, which protects the public health and social services system from arbitrary cuts and austerity cycles.

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A BOLD IDEA FOR JANUARY

End austerity : We need to refuse the cycle of underfunding that is undermining our health and social services system. Year after year, the logic of “fiscal discipline” and budget cuts continues to prevail as positions are abolished or left unfilled, work overload is everywhere, services are reduced, equipment deteriorates, and facilities become more and more dilapidated. 

The austerity that shapes our working conditions also affects the quality of services and Quebecers’ access to them. In 2026, the APTS dares to do something different: name the political choices leading to austerity, show that it is both avoidable and irresponsible, and put forward concrete solutions for a strong public system. 

Time to break the cycle

We understand the cycle of austerity once we see how budget choices reproduce and reinforce themselves. Tax cuts reduce government income and increase the public deficit. Budgets are cut, and this leads to underfunded services. Service deterioration is then presented as a problem of “inefficiency”, which means we go back to obsessing about balancing the budget. And so the cycle starts up again. A weaker system is the outcome, and Quebecers pay the price. We’ve spent too much time going around in circles. Let’s break the cycle!