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Longueuil – As Christine Fréchette becomes premier of Québec, the APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) presents four major expectations – in terms of health, social services, and fundamental rights, and especially for women and immigrants – to the person who will govern Québec until the October 2026 elections.

“First of all, Ms. Fréchette must make a definite commitment to a strong public health and social services system,” said APTS 1st vice-president Émilie Charbonneau. “At the same time, she needs to reassure people working in the system after the worrisome things she said during the campaign, opening the door to an ever greater intrusion of the private sector in our services. These are services that must remain public, universal, and accessible.”

The APTS argues that workers’ concerns are shared by the public. According to a Léger survey made public this winter, almost half of Quebecers (45%) believe that the government must discourage the development of healthcare services offered by clinics run for profit. At the same time, over two thirds (69%) object to having to pay for health care and services.

The APTS therefore calls for a clear break with the practices of the Legault government that have undermined the trust of Quebecers and especially workers. Among other things, the government must stop trampling on fundamental rights as it has been doing over the past years. To do so, it must start by withdrawing the draft constitutional bill currently under study and abolish Bill 3, adopted at the eleventh hour just before the National Assembly adjourned.

The union also challenges the premier to address the issue of immigration and the stability of teams in public services. Adding its voice to those of thousands of immigrants and dozens of civil society organizations, it is demanding that the promise to reinstate the PEQ (Programme de l’expérience québécoise) for a period of two years be immediately honoured. That decision would be a way of protecting the rights of people directly affected by the end of the program, reducing the uncertainty that jeopardizes work teams, and ensuring the continuity of services provided to Quebecers.

Lastly, and especially because 85% of its members are women, the APTS emphasizes the symbolic and political importance of having a woman take on the highest position in Québec’s government. This is only the second time such a thing has occurred. As pay inequalities continue to exist and women are too often the first to be affected by violence and precarity, the APTS hopes they will finally be fully understood and defended at the highest level of the state. To send a clear and concrete message, the union calls on the government to immediately grant ten days of paid leave to victims of intimate partner violence – an essential demand put forward by the inter-union coalition on women’s issues known as the Intersyndicale des femmes. There have already been eight femicides since the beginning of 2026. The time to act is now.

The APTS

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) represents more than 68,000 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.