Canadian doctors and medical students protest over... salary increase

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The group said they would feel "insulted" if they were given a pay rise when nurses and patients were struggling.

“All of these pay increases are even more shocking than before because our nurses, staff and many others are facing very difficult working conditions, while patients are lacking necessary services,”letter written

Instead, 213 general practitioners, 184 specialists, 149 residents and 162 medical students want the money used for their pay raises to be returned to the public health system.

“We believe 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 health care workers to the limit,” they wrote.

According to a report from the Institute for Health Information published in September 2017, the average doctor in Canada is currently paid $260,924 (339,000 Canadian dollars) per year.

According to the report, a family physician is paid an average of $211,717 (C$275,000) and a surgical specialist is paid $354,915 (C$461,000).

However, this is the pre-tax salary and does not include the total expenses that each doctor has to pay.

In May 2016, a doctor publicly shared his family’s expenses. Despite receiving a salary of $231,033 (C$300,000), he was left with $136,906 (C$177,876) after expenses, but that was before taxes and benefits were taken out.

According to the Canadian Medical Association, the cost of medical school in Canada is subsidized by provincial governments. The cost varies depending on whether the student is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or international student, and the particular school.

For Canadian citizens and permanent residents, tuition fees for the first year range from approximately $2,567 (C$3,334) to $20,064 (C$26,056).