With many Montrealers waiting years to be signed up with a family doctor, and those who do experiencing long wait times to see them, the provincial government announced an agreement with the federation of family doctors to provide improved access to front-line care. 

Dr. Paul Saba, family physician at Lachine hospital, says having access to a family doctor is essential.

He said this deal is a good start, as it will reduce the amount of Montrealers turning to the emergency room for non-emergency related services – an issue which has been clogging up wait times. 

Saba says that while doctor access is essential, Montrealers should also be able to access requisitions from pharmacists or nurses, so that they do not have to clog up the emergency rooms for these type of requests.

Saba said the issue of accessing a family doctor is not just a city issue, but a province- and Canada-wide issue.

The weakened healthcare system, as a result of cuts from the provincial government, has generated interest towards a privatized healthcare system. But this isn’t the only threat to Montreal and the rest of the province's healthcare system. Controversial Bill 96 is in the final stages of becoming a law. The Bill will mandate French in both public and private life. As a result, doctors have the ability to refuse to speak with patients in English, and only French, which poses a thread to Montreal – who has a large English speaking community.

With Bill 96, Quebec's french reform law, causing concerns to Montrealers being able to access healthcare services in English, Montrealers are eager to have better healthcare services, drawing more importance to this deal with the Quebec government and family doctors.