CAQ leader François Legault during the 2018 election campaign promised everyone a family doctor, but failed to follow through after being elected prime minister. On day 6 of the election campaign, outgoing health minister Christian Dubé said the party will not promise anything that is “not possible”. Instead, he said, what Quebecers really need is access to medical care from qualified health workers — like nurses or pharmacists. “I think what Quebecers want is access to a health professional,” Dubé said just south of Quebec City with Legault. “In the best of circumstances, that should be a doctor, but I think what the people of Quebec have realized, especially during the pandemic, is that they can be served by health professionals who are not necessarily doctors.” The Liberals, meanwhile, have promised that if elected, the hundreds of thousands of Quebecers waiting for a family doctor will get one. Legault and Dubé promised on Friday that the CAQ will gradually launch a digital health platform that will serve as an entry point into the health system and direct people to the right health professional. The goal would be to offer someone with a medical need — that is not an emergency — an appointment with a health care worker within 36 hours. Meanwhile, in Lachute, Que., northwest of Montreal, Quebec Conservative Party leader Éric Duhaime discussed his party’s health plan, which includes a significant contribution from the private sector. Quebec Conservative Party leader Éric Duhaime speaks to the media in front of the hospital in Lachute, Que.. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press) Duhaime said private companies should be allowed to manage the operations of some hospitals and doctors should be encouraged to practice in public and private health systems. Quebecers, he added, would be able under a conservative government to buy supplemental insurance for treatment at private clinics. The party also promised to train 1,000 more doctors and hire as many nurses. In Gatineau, Que., Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade promised access to subsidized daycare spaces for all Quebec children. Anglade told reporters at a local daycare that at least 52,000 children are waiting for a place. She said her party would create 67,000 extra jobs at $1.1 billion a year, with funding coming from a recently signed daycare deal with the federal government. Québec Solidaire has promised to introduce a caregiver allowance worth up to $15,000 a year and double the home care services offered by the province. The two measures would cost $1.1 billion annually. “I walk the campaign trail and I hear comments like, ‘I’d rather die than end up in a (long-term care home),” Québec Solidaire co-spokesman Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois told reporters while visiting the Gaspé Peninsula. “I hear it almost every week at the ground. It’s not normal, I don’t accept it.” Quebec Liberal leader Dominique Anglade promised more daycare spots at a campaign event in Gatineau, Que. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) On Friday, the Parti Québécois promised to triple the amount of home care services by investing an additional $3 billion a year in the health system. Campaigning in Gatineau, leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon proposed abandoning the Legault government’s model for new, smaller nursing homes — a key 2018 promise from the CAQ. St-Pierre Plamondon said he would only complete the houses under construction. Legault, however, insisted they need both long-term care and home care. Currently, 43 of the promised 46 nursing homes are under construction. “We’ve invested $2 billion over the last four years in home care and services, except that there are people who at some point are no longer independent and need ongoing service — to go to (a long-term care home) or to seniors home,” Legault said.
