September 30, 2025

Dear clinical faculty and students, 

With the FMSQ pressure tactics in their third week, we know that this difficult situation is causing stress for students and clinical faculty alike. Together, we will find a way through this, maintaining the high quality of our program while finding creative mechanisms to adapt.  

Some updates are below, and, as always, you can find more information on the School of Medicine website.  

The FMOQ, which represents family physicians, had called on its members to stop teaching activities for medical students as of October 1, 2025. Yesterday, they announced that this pressure tactic would be delayed until October 4, 2025. The FMSQ emailed its members today to say that they would also push back a second phase of pressure tactics.  

Updates for students: 

This delay in FMOQ pressure tactics means that the contingency plans communicated last Friday for the first two days of the week of September 29 are valid for the full week.  

  • Family medicine core rotations and electives will now continue until at least October 3, inclusively. 
  • LFME activities continue, at least until October 3, inclusively. 
  • Students completing a rural rotation should remain onsite for the rest of this week. If the FMOQ tactics go into effect on October 4, we will email you.  
  • Please review the emails sent on September 26 and September 29 for more information.  

Students, particularly those in Med-4, we hear that you are very concerned about your graduation, CaRMS residency applications and your relationship with supervisors once rotations in the clinical environment resume.  

  • Your professors have written to show their commitment to your education and their support during this challenging period.  Read their messages of support for you.  
  • We are not yet at the point where graduation will be delayed for the Med-4 class.  
  • We’re exploring flexibility in administrative deadlines.  
  • As mentioned at last week’s Town Hall, longer Period 4 electives (four-week and three-week) will be shortened, but two-week electives cannot be shortened.  

Updates for clinical faculty: 

As the stoppage in teaching by clinical specialists continues, our concerns for our students rise. It was heartwarming to see the care and concern expressed in your messages of support for students.  

When students return to the clinical environment, we will need your full support and expertise to ensure their education continues and students are prepared to become competent physicians. Your work now in training tomorrow’s doctors is vital for patients and for the future of health care in Quebec. 

  • For clinical faculty who are family physicians: please continue your usual teaching and supervision responsibilities, which are such an invaluable part of our students’ education, including LFME activities.   
  • For clinical faculty who are FMSQ members: if you are participating in the work action, we ask that you follow the written guidance sent by your federation and not stop activities based on word of mouth. For example, at the moment the FMSQ has not extended its pressure tactics to teaching or educational activities for residents, nor for research supervision for students.   

We will continue to do everything we can to keep delivering education to as many of our students as we can, within the constraints we are all experiencing, and to minimize the impact on graduating students.  
 

Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil
Vice-President (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine 
and Health Sciences

Mélanie Mondou, MDCM
Associate Dean
Undergraduate Medical Education