Hundreds of Canadian doctors demand lower salaries

In a move that can only be described as utterly Canadian, hundreds of doctors in Quebec are protesting their pay raises, saying they already make too much money.

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 700 physicians, residents and medical students from the Canadian province had signed an online petition asking for their pay raises to be canceled. A group named Médecins Québécois Pour le Régime, which represents Quebec doctors and advocates for public health, started the petition Feb. 25.

The physicians group said it could not in good conscience accept pay raises when working conditions remained difficult for others in their profession — including nurses and clerks — and while patients “live with the lack of access to required services because of drastic cuts in recent years.”

“The only thing that seems to be immune to the [healthcare system] cuts is our salaries,” the petition by the doctors group stated. “Contrary to the Prime Minister’s statements, we believe that there is a way to redistribute the resources of the Quebec health system to promote the health of the population and meet the needs of patients without pushing workers to the end.”

The petition ended by asking that the salary increases be canceled and the money be redistributed throughout Quebec’s healthcare system.