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Longueuil – The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) released its brief on Bill 67 today, as part of a parliamentary committee review at the National Assembly. It began by applauding the recognition of thousands of its members, a major advance for health and social services professionals.

“This bill finally recognizes the expertise and dedication of our members, who play a crucial role in the public health and social services system,” said APTS president Robert Comeau. “We are calling on the government to continue its efforts by expanding the number of professions that can make a diagnosis, particularly in the fields of mental health and rehabilitation, to better meet Quebecers’ needs.”

For the bill’s provisions to achieve their goal, the APTS argues that the reform must be done in line with existing administrative standards in the public health and social services system. Plus, recognizing the diagnostic act for certain professionals won’t automatically guarantee improved access to health care and services.

To accomplish this, we need to value the expertise of employees in the public system by adopting workforce planning and introducing attraction and retention measures. Without additional resources, there is a real risk of increasing the front-line workload and moving the waiting list bottleneck from the front line to the second line after diagnosis.

“If they move ahead without planning or a global approach, the government’s laudable intentions could have undesirable, unexpected consequences by complicating access to services for people with a mental health diagnosis, for instance, and accelerating the exodus of professionals whose interest in the private sector could grow,” said APTS vice-president Sandra Etienne. “As is too often the case, Quebecers will likely pay the price.”

Breaking down silos to modernize

This is why the APTS is reminding the government that the professional system can’t be modernized in silos. To ensure better access, foster the quality of care and services and protect the public, it must take a global view and consult all stakeholders, not just professional orders, in the wake of its efforts to modernize the professional system.

“A successful reform requires the collaboration of all actors in the public system,” said Sandra Etienne. “We need to work together to guarantee equitable access to high-quality care and services for all Quebecers.”

Increasing the value of jobs

For the APTS, the new responsibilities granted to professionals must be accompanied by better compensation for their jobs, without waiting for the next pay equity audit in 2025, the results of which could take 10 to 15 years to be felt.

“Recognizing expertise goes hand in hand with fair compensation,” said Robert Comeau. “Our members should not have to wait a decade for their contribution to the public network to be remunerated in a way that reflects the services they provide.”

Consult the APTS brief (in French)

The APTS

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) represents more than 65,000 members, who play a key role in ensuring that health and social services institutions run smoothly. Our members provide a wide range of services for all Quebecers, including diagnostic, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial intervention, clinical support, and prevention services.