2025 Physician Main Agreement

The 2025 Physician Main Agreement, renamed to replace terminology with historically inappropriate cultural connotations, was ratified with a total of 4,292 votes cast and 91.8% in favour. This represents a significant investment in physicians and health care amid a difficult fiscal environment and is a strong step forward for BC doctors and patients. This content is available to active members. If you believe you should have access or need help, please contact us.

The new four-year agreement provides funding increases of $984 million/year by the end of the agreement, equivalent to a 13.6% increase in the total expenditure base. Additionally, government is providing $100M in new funding for Alternatively Paid physicians to address workload growth. More information on what this ratification means is available in the President’s Letter; highlights of the agreement include:

• Significant new funding for fee-for-service specialists to help address income disparities, support the introduction of new cross-specialty fees, and address gender inequity issues. 
• Significant new funding to address income disparities between practice categories and recruitment and retention challenges for service contracted and salaried physicians 
• Significant new funding for family physicians to address equity issues, close gaps that have developed under different payment models, and modernize the Fee Guide, along with additional funding and a government commitment to further improve the LFP Payment Model.
• The single largest increase in funding ever allocated to the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues to support rural physicians and help address their concerns about the erosion of the rural advantage in recent years. 
• Increased premiums for fee-for-service and AP physicians for after-hours work and a new premium for elective surgeries scheduled on evenings, weekends, and statutory holidays. 
• A 20% increase to both MOCAP rates and Business Cost Premiums. 
• Increased annual funding to further address administrative burdens faced by physicians and expand physical and psychological health and safety supports. 
• Noteworthy improvements to parental leave benefits and increased funding to help physicians save for retirement.
• A new joint Community Digital Health Innovation Program, which will fund AI products for physicians and support community-based physicians with EMR-related challenges.

Further information about the agreement is available in the Information Package below, which includes an overview, a detailed summary, and the full tentative agreement (updated May 14).

• 2025 Tentative PMA Information Package

Doctors of BC’s Chief Negotiator, Paul Straszak, and the Chair of the Statutory Negotiating Committee, Dr Cathy Clelland, provided a detailed overview of the tentative Physician Master Agreement and answered members’ questions.

Watch the recording

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact negotiations@doctorsofbc.ca.