We don't want more money - Doctors protest

More than 500 doctors in Canada have protested against their own pay rise. The doctors have asked the government to spend the money on patient care and resources for their underpaid and overworked colleagues instead.

In a a public letter protesting their own pay increment, it said "We, Quebec doctors who believe in a strong public system, oppose the recent salary increases negotiated by our medical federations."

"These increases are all the more shocking because our nurses, clerks and other professionals face very difficult working conditions, while our patients live with the lack of access to required services because of the drastic cuts in recent years and the centralization of power in the Ministry of Health.

"The only thing that seems to be immune to cuts is our salary," it added.

Part of the deal constitutes that Quebec’s 10,000 medical specialists will see their annual salary rise from $4.7 billion to $5.4 billion in 2023, an increase of 1.4 per cent each year.

A physician in Canada is paid $260,924 ($339,000 Canadian) for clinical services by the government's Ministry of Health per year on average, according to a report from the Canadian Institute for Health.

On average, a family physician is paid $211,717 ($275,000 Canadian) for clinical services and a surgical specialist is paid $354,915 ($461,000 Canadian), the report said.