Outaouais faces healthcare crisis after flying teams cut
Tashi Farmilo
The Quebec government’s abrupt decision to dismantle its flying health teams has sent shockwaves through the Outaouais region, where shortages of healthcare personnel are chronic and acutely felt. The programme, designed to deploy staff to areas struggling with critical labour gaps, had been a lifeline for the region, offering temporary reinforcements to hospitals and clinics. Now, with little warning, that support has vanished, leaving local leaders grappling with what they describe as a deepening crisis.
For Alain Smolynecky, president of the Syndicat des travailleuses et travailleurs de la santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais-CSN, the end of the programme is both a blow to the public healthcare system and a sign of broader neglect. “The Outaouais already struggles to attract and retain workers,” he said. “Removing these teams is not just a bad decision; it’s one that risks leaving vulnerable patients without care.”
The Outaouais, long overshadowed by its neighbour, Ottawa, has faced persistent challenges in competing for medical professionals. With fewer resources and lower salaries than those offered across the provincial border, the region has become a revolving door for healthcare staff. The flying teams, while never a permanent solution, had offered some relief, shoring up gaps in critical services. Without them, union representatives fear longer wait times for surgeries, postponed vaccinations, and reduced access to primary care.
Critics of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government argue the decision reflects a pattern of prioritising cost-cutting over community needs. The government has not outlined an alternative plan to address staffing shortfalls, which has heightened concerns that private agencies will step into the breach. These agencies, already a significant presence in the Outaouais, charge steep fees that critics say drain public resources without offering long-term solutions. “When private agencies take over, the public system loses both money and workers,” Smolynecky said. “It’s an expensive cycle, and it doesn’t fix anything.”
The loss of the flying teams has amplified fears that some services may simply disappear. Local leaders have warned of a ripple effect, with fewer staff available to reduce surgical backlogs or handle seasonal surges in demand. Union officials, who had initially raised concerns about the flying teams’ implementation, say they had come to view the programme as a necessary stopgap. Their calls for structured, long-term strategies to recruit and retain staff in the region have gone unanswered, fuelling frustration with what many see as a piecemeal approach to healthcare policy. “This decision feels like the government has given up on regions like ours,” said Smolynecky. “It’s hard not to see it as part of a broader shift towards privatisation.”
The CAQ’s track record on healthcare has come under scrutiny in recent months, as private clinics play an increasingly visible role in Quebec’s system. While proponents of privatisation argue that such clinics offer quicker access to care, critics counter that they cherry-pick profitable procedures and leave public hospitals to manage complex, high-risk cases. In the Outaouais, where private agencies have already recruited many local healthcare workers, the effects are particularly stark. Public facilities are left to operate with skeletal crews, exacerbating existing delays and putting additional strain on remaining staff.
With no immediate solutions on the table, the region’s residents and healthcare workers are left bracing for what comes next. “This isn’t just a question of policy,” Smolynecky said. “It’s about the lives and health of the people who live here. And right now, they feel abandoned.”
For Alain Smolynecky, president of the Syndicat des travailleuses et travailleurs de la santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais-CSN, the abrupt end of Quebec’s flying health teams is a devastating setback for a region already grappling with chronic staff shortages and mounting healthcare challenges. Photo: Courtesy of CSN
