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Quebec will table a law forcing family doctors and medical specialists trained in Quebec to work in the public system during the first years of their career, provincial Health Minister Christian Dubé announced on Sunday.

The minister did not specify how long the mandatory stay in the public sector would last.

The province has seen an increase in the number of doctors who trained in the public sector opting to work in the private network. Among the 22,479 doctors practising in Quebec, 775 work exclusively in the private sector, an increase of 70 per cent since 2020, according to numbers provided by the Health Ministry.

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“This trend is particularly marked among new doctors,” Dubé said in a statement without providing statistics.

“While there are still too many Quebecers waiting for care, too many doctors are deciding at the start of their career to leave the Quebec public sector. We will take measures so that Quebecers will have access to the care they pay for,” Dubé said in the statement.

“Our government has the courage to take all the measures necessary to strengthen the commitment of doctors toward the population of our public sector. This measure is part of a range of other means to strengthen our public network and attract professionals who will work there at the beginning of their careers.”

In an interview Monday on 98.5 FM, Dubé suggested that new doctors who received their training in Quebec and wanted to proceed to the private sector or practise outside the province at the end of the their studies would face “consequences.”

Dubé acknowledged that the consequences would also apply to a student from Ontario who studied medicine at McGill and who, after their studies, decided to immediately return to Ontario to practice.

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“What will those consequences be? I think we will discuss that in the proposed law,” said Dubé.

The proposed law will be tabled by the end of the current session of government in time to be studied next spring.

“I think that Quebecers … when they look at it very coldly, (will see) the logic behind it,” he said. “Which is to say that society invests a lot in these doctors, in terms of dollars. I think it is completely natural that these doctors, once they leave their studies, give back to the public system.”

In Sunday’s announcement, Dubé noted that training a doctor — including medical residency — costs taxpayers between $435,000 to $790,000. The number of spots to study medicine is limited.

He added on Monday that the law for keeping doctors in the public sector was one of several measures he intended to take, although he did not specify when and what other measures would be forthcoming.

The announcement from the ministry included four measures taken by the Legault government: reducing paperwork for doctors so they can spend more time with their patients; giving more powers to other professionals, such as nurse practitioners and pharmacists; gradually ending private health agencies and hiring those workers in the private sector and reviewing the organization of labour within the framework of collective agreements to improve access for patients.

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The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), which last week called upon Dubé to staunch the flow of doctors to the private sector, greeted Sunday’s announcement with enthusiasm. CSN president Caroline Senneville said a “social contract” was breaking and Dubé’s announcement “restored balance.”

“Of course there are many other things that can be done,” Senneville said. “We would like to see that there is no more back and forth between the private and public sectors. … But this is certainly a step in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec noted in an email that “the best way to keep medical specialists in the public sector is to give them the means to provide care.”

The fédération also stressed that Dubé’s announcement should not be limited to doctors, but extended to other health professionals who have been moving from the public to the private sector.

Quebec’s College of Physicians is calling for an immediate suspension of any further private sector expansion into medical care.

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Joe Ortona, who has battled the Quebec government on secularism, French language rules and control of the anglophone school network, has taken an early lead in his bid for re-election as chair of the English Montreal School Board.

Early results show Ortona has 4,413 votes, more than double the 1,633 garnered by his challenger, Katherine Korakakis.

The board posted the tally on its website at 10:15 p.m. on Sunday.

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Polls closed at 8 p.m. Just over 82,000 voters are on the EMSB electoral list.

Both Ortona, a lawyer, and Korakakis, president of the English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec, are running with slates.

The early results include figures for nine of the 10 commissioner races. In all nine, members of Ortona’s team lead.

Elections were open at all nine English-language boards in Quebec, though at some, most or all candidates won by acclamation or positions remained vacant because of a lack of candidates.

The EMSB, Quebec’s largest English board, is the only board where all positions — the chair and 10 commissioners — were contested.

Ortona’s campaign received a boost Friday with an endorsement letter signed by several prominent community leaders.

Signatories included MP Anthony Housefather, Côte-St-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, Town of Mount Royal Mayor Peter Malouf, four Montreal city councillors and Geoffrey Chambers, former president of the Quebec Community Groups Network.

In the letter, the supporters said Ortona was a “strong, experienced, and principled leader” who has been “a steadfast advocate for the English-speaking community, fearlessly taking on the laws and policies that threaten our future.”

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On Saturday, in a video posted on her Facebook page, Korakakis took issue with the endorsement.

“My opponent is boasting support from his political people, essentially compromising his ability to act impartially or make objective decisions for our students,” she said.

“Will he prioritize student, teacher or parent voices, or will he prioritize the political agendas of his political friends?”

Early results were not available for the other five English boards that held elections.

Sir Wilfred Laurier School Board, which covers Laval, Lanaudière, and the Laurentians, is the only other board where the chair position is being contested. Two commissioner positions are also up for election

At the Lester B. Pearson School Board, where chair Judith Kelley was re-elected by acclamation, three commissioner seats are up for election. The LBPSB covers southwestern Montreal as well as the western part of the island.

One commissioner is up for election at each of the Eastern Shores, New Frontiers and Western Quebec school boards.

Anglophone community leaders have emphasized the importance of a high turnout on Nov. 3 to preserve the institutions, described as critical to the vitality of the English-speaking community.

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Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government has been trying to eliminate English boards since 2020, when it abolished elected French boards, replacing them with government-run school service centres.

English boards, including the EMSB, went to court, arguing the anglophone community has the right to control and manage their school system.

The boards won in the Quebec Superior Court. The Quebec government is appealing, with the case expected to reach the Supreme Court of Canada.

The EMSB is also involved in a court challenge of the CAQ’s secularism law, Bill 21, which bans many government employees, including new teachers, from wearing the Muslim hijab and other religious symbols.

In addition, the EMSB has gone to court to contest parts of the CAQ’s overhaul of language laws. Ortona argues it’s unconstitutional to require English school boards to communicate exclusively in French when interacting with other English-speaking community organizations.

Local school boards run elections under provincial rules overseen by Elections Quebec.

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School board returning officers are responsible for disseminating the results.

However, the results released on election night are preliminary, with official results to be announced later, Elections Quebec says.

There is a four-day deadline for requesting a judicial recount. Only after this period has elapsed can returning officers proceed with the proclamation of the election, the provincial elections agency said.

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There's been a lot of chatter about Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes looking for help both up front and on the back end of late. Depending on who you ask, the Habs are looking for an attacker who plays with an edge or a top-four right-shot defenseman. However, TVA Sports' Jean-Charles Lajoie suggest another course of action.

The pre-game host believes Hughes should be looking for another deal with the Calgary Flames and not a small one at that. For him, the solution would be to send veteran forward Brendan Gallagher out west in return for St-Jerome native Jonathan Huberdeau.

The one thing that makes sense about this idea is offering Gallagher, but solely because his stock is higher than it has been in the last few season and Hughes doesn't like to sell low. However, I don't see trading the alternate captain as a move which would help the Canadiens get out of its current predicament, and especially not for Huberdeau.

It's not that Huberdeau isn't a good player, but let's be clear, he has all but fallen off a cliff since being traded to Calgary. He went from putting up a career-best 115 points in 2021-22 to 55 points in 2022-23 and 52 points in 2023-24. Granted, his production is set to get up this season judging by his eights points in 11 games output, but there's no guarantee he'll be able to keep that up.

Furthermore, Huberdeau may be younger than Gallagher, but only by a single year and he is signed to an albatross like contract which has him earning $10.5 M for another six seasons after the current one.

We're talking about Hughes here, the GM who tried to sign Jonathan Marchesseault in free-agency but wouldn't give him a pact long enough to please the player, and it was a much lower cap hit. I struggle to see how he could even entertain such an idea. Even with Carey Price's $10.5 M contract coming off the books after next season, it would make no sense to tie that much money in a player whose prime clearly appears to be behind him.

It's also worth mentioning that if Hughes wants edge up front, he really shouldn't be looking Huberdeau's way. The center is a talented and skilled player but he doesn't bring that kind of game at all.

Finally, there's a reason why Gallagher's stock is higher right now, he's playing well, and bringing a lot of much needed leadership to this young group. That's without even considering his cap hit is $5 M lower than Huberdeau's and his contract runs out much sooner after the 2026-27 season while the Flames' forwards' runs through the end of the 2030-31 campaign.

Since taking the helm of the Canadiens, Hughes has pulled the trigger on a trade 30 times and none of those deals were panic moves which this one definitely would be. Bringing a struggling Huberdeau home would immediately make him an easy scapegoat for frustrated fans, he would instantly become the new Jonathan Drouin or Patrice Brisebois, depending on how old you are, but the point is, Hughes has a plan and going down this path would be like throwing it in the bin.

The big bucks the Canadiens will save when the Price and Gallagher contracts expire will be needed to sign players such as Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov to long-term deal. When that's done and the team is truly ready to contend, it will be time for Hughes to go big game hunting on the trade market or in free agency, not now.

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It's been a tough goaltending month for the Montreal Canadiens. After Samuel Montembeault started the season with a magical 48-save shutout to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Habs netminders—like their defense—have crumbled. In 11 games, Sainte-Flanelle has given up 46 goals.

Meanwhile, tonight's hosts, the Pittsburgh Penguins, have already surrendered 48 goals to their opponents, but they've done it over 12 games for an average goals against per game played of 4.00. The Canadiens are tied with the Colorado Avalanche in last place with 4.18.

If you think Montembeault and Cayden Primeau have had issues, you should know that the Penguins' number one goaltender last year, Tristan Jarry, is currently in the AHL with the Pens' farm team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He landed there after playing three NHL games this season in which he gave up 12 goals and posted a goals-against average of 5.47 and a save percentage of .836.

As a result, the Penguins are now relying on Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist to hold the fort with modest results. The former has a 3.18 GAA and a .890 SP, while the latter has just played his first six NHL games and has a 3.46 GAA and a .909 SP to show for it.

Neither of the Canadiens' netminders has great stats against Sidney Crosby and co. Montembeault has a 2-1-1 record, a 3.40 GAA, and a .894 SP, and Primeau has lost his two games against them with a 4.84 GAA and a .860 SP. Considering Thursday's result, we should see Montembeault in net tonight.

As for the Pens, Blomqvist has never played the Canadiens in his young career, but Nedeljkovic has a great record. He's 2-1-1 with a 1.91 GAA and a .944 SP. The latter was on duty on Thursday for Pittsburgh's last game, so the coach may want to give Blomqvist a game since he's played the most games so far this season.

Both teams have similar records right now, the Pennsylvania outfit has a 4-7-1 record with nine points to its name while the Tricolore also has nine points but on the back of a 4-6-1 record.

The two teams have already played each other this season, with the Penguins triumphing 6-3 at the Bell Centre in mid-October. Lars Eller hurt his former team with a couple of goals, and Evgeny Malkin earned first-star honours with a goal and two assists.

The Canadiens won't be having a morning skate today. It was initially planned to take place at 11:30 a.m., but after holding what could be called a punishing practice on Friday, coach Martin St-Louis has elected not to put his men back on the ice before the game.

The bench boss was understandably disappointed after Thursday's debacle, and he decided it was time to react. As he made his charges skate, skate, and skate again, he was heard shouting, "It will be like that every time." In other words, if the level of effort is not satisfying and the same issues resurface, the players could find themselves right back in the same predicament.

Questioned by the press on practice, he explained that a coach is like a father; there are times when you need to be tougher on your kids. After watching the Canadiens' first 11 games, this strikes me as a pretty fair comment.

Arber Xhekaj will be back in the lineup tonight, while Justin Barron will make way. Montembeault will be back in net for his first away game of the season.

Tonight's game will be the 227th between the two teams. So far, the Canadiens have a record of 127-65-23-11. However, the Penguins have won the last four duels and seven of the last ten.

Brendan Gallagher is the Canadiens' biggest point producer against Crosby and co. with 15 points in 29 games. Captain Nick Suzuki has 10 points in 13 games, but sniper Cole Caufield has only four points in nine games, including a modest two goals. The diminutive right winger will try to keep his goal-scoring streak going; he's had a lamplighter in each of the last four games.

The Penguins' dynamic duo of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have got matching record against Montreal, both have faced them 50 times and put up 64 points. Their top two defensemen will also have to be watched closely, though; Kris Letang has picked up 36 points in 45 games against his childhood's side, while Erik Karlsson, who has faced them a lot during his Ottawa days, has 41 points in 50 games. As for the points streak, Crosby has five points in his last two games, while Matt Grzelcyk has five in his last three.

The game, which starts at 7:00 PM, is the last one before the Canadiens head home for a tilt with the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains

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Quebecers are once again gearing up to turn their clocks back by an hour this weekend — this time amid consultations as to whether the practice should become a thing of the past.

The Quebec government is mulling the idea of abolishing the twice-yearly time change, something sleep experts have been suggesting for years.

“The utility of the time change has been taken into question by recent studies showing its impact on our health, economy and daily lives,” Quebec’s justice ministry site reads.

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Not sure what your stance is? Confused about what any of this means?

Here’s a breakdown:

Daylight time involves shifting time forward one hour in the summer to add an hour of daylight in the evening. It’s changed back to standard time the following autumn. A common misconception is that the winter months are when daylight time is in effect; it is, in fact, the summer.

The practice was introduced by the Canadian government in 1918 to increase production during the First World War by shifting an hour of sunlight to after dinner.

The U.S. Congress voted to move to year-round daylight time in 1974 but changed course after people complained about having to go to school and work in the dark on winter mornings.

No. According to the Pew Research Center, most countries don’t observe daylight time. Roughly one-third do, most of which are in Europe. The centre noted that parts of Canada and the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean are where daylight time is most common outside Europe.

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The research centre also noted that about half of all countries used to use daylight time, but several decided to stop during the past decade.

Sleep experts have for years said that changing the time twice a year just isn’t worth it when you consider the negative effect on health.

Many North Americans struggle to sleep the recommended seven to nine hours per night and report sleeping poorly in general, so the effects of losing a collective hour of sleep are obvious in the days that follow.

“We find ourselves, mostly in the spring, with negative effects: irritability, drowsiness, memory and attention issues,” said Véronique Daneault, a research associate at the Sacré-Coeur de Montréal hospital’s Centre d’études avancées en médecine du sommeil. “We also have … increased rates of heart attacks, strokes, car accidents, work accidents.”

It depends whether the province would keep daylight time or standard time year round (this is a question in the consultations Quebec is currently holding).

If “summer” time was maintained all year, here’s what the solstices would look like in Quebec City:

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If “winter” time was maintained all year:

Daneault said the position of sleep scientists is to maintain standard (winter) time, which is better aligned with our circadian rhythms.

“We’re going to turn back clocks in a few days — the idea would be that this would be the last time change,” she said. “After, we’ll be on standard time and we’d stay on standard time.”

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette simply referred to recent studies questioning the point of the time change when you consider the negative effects.

“The time has come to question the relevance and the future of the time change in Quebec,” he told reporters last week, without committing to a timeline on making the change after consultations.

Jolin-Barrette stressed Quebec has full autonomy on the matter but would consider the positions of its neighbours. In 2020, Ontario passed a bill to remain on daylight time permanently, but it was contingent on Quebec and New York doing the same.

The U.S. Senate passed legislation that would have made daylight time permanent in 2022, but it was sidetracked by debate over whether standard time would be the better option.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.

kthomas@postmedia.com

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