In 2025, seniors aged 65 and over make up 21 per cent of Quebec’s population — a figure that continues to rise.
As a geriatrician who has chosen to stay and serve in this province for over a decade, I’ve devoted my career to helping older adults navigate the complex, often harsh realities of aging. I’ve done so alongside dedicated family doctors, specialists and surgeons who treat their patients with compassion and skill.
But with the passage of Bill 2, I fear we are abandoning the very people we’ve sworn to protect.
A proper geriatric consultation takes time — often 90 minutes — to assess frailty, comorbidities, cognitive function and social context. These are not quick checkups. They are deep and nuanced evaluations that require listening, explaining and planning.
Under Bill 2, I will be expected to see nearly three patients in that same time frame. This is not just unrealistic — it’s dangerous.
Every day, I treat frail patients whose resilience has been eroded by age and illness. Their families turn to me for answers, trying to understand why a seemingly minor infection or medication change has led to a dramatic decline. My colleagues consult me to determine whether their patients can withstand surgery, rehabilitation or even a new prescription. And I work shoulder to shoulder with nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and occupational therapists — professionals who give everything they have to preserve our patients’ autonomy and dignity.
I also teach. I mentor residents, fellows and students, showing them the value of holistic geriatric care. I help them recognize the subtle signs of delirium that contributes to decline and the importance of treating the person, not just the disease.
I collaborate with administrators to reduce hospital stays and improve outcomes. This is the work that matters. This is the work Bill 2 threatens to unravel.
Premier François Legault and Health Minister Christian Dubé say they want performance indicators. I invite them to speak with our patients and their families.
Let our political leaders walk the halls of our hospitals and see what care really looks like. Let them understand the cost of rushing through appointments and of penalizing physicians for taking the time to care.
Nowhere in Bill 2 is there a plan to hire more doctors, nurses, physiotherapists or orderlies.
Nowhere is there a commitment to improving the quality of life for aging Quebecers.
Instead, it is a demoralizing decree to which doctors are treated like assembly-line workers, expected to meet quotas while our patients suffer.
During the pandemic, we were called “guardian angels.” Today, we are being punished for doing our jobs with integrity.
Quebec’s seniors deserve better. So do those of us who have dedicated our lives to caring for them.
Elise Levinoff is a staff geriatrician and internist in the division of geriatric medicine at the Jewish General Hospital and an associate professor in the faculty of medicine and health sciences at McGill University.
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