The past few months have brought to light the issue that we live in a region with a debilitating veterinarian shortage.
This issue was made even more heartbreakingly apparent in recent weeks when many Pontiac horse owners received the tragic news that their vet had taken her own life. She was someone who would always go out of her way to help the horses in her care, of which over one-hundred resided in the Pontiac.
She dedicated their life to the care of animals and the peace of mind of those animals’ owners, even if it meant that it was at the detriment of her own wellbeing. Though this editorial will not mention her name, it is a given that those who knew her will know exactly who this is in reference to.
The vet shortage is not only an issue that affects animal owners but it is something that puts enormous amounts of stress on vet and veterinary technicians alike.
On a weekly basis, vets are faced with stressful and traumatic situations. They are tasked with taking care of animals who are knocking on death’s door and when/if their attempts at saving the animal fails, they oftentimes have to deal with being berated by grieving owners.
If you have ever been around a vet you know that they stop at nothing to save an animal. But when “Fluffy’s” care fails, and he is too far gone, the vet is faced with telling someone that their beloved “fur baby” is gone.
The blame is now placed on them. “Why didn’t you do more”, “why weren’t you giving him more of your time” and so on. For many horse vets, the death of an animal sometimes means having the owners walking out on their bills.
This is all being done while working with several owners every week, as they work almost entirely alone.
It is unimaginable how much stress vets are under, and that is only one among many reasons why young people aren’t as likely to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.
Realistically, students who have the ambition to become a vet must first be accepted into one of the five schools that have veterinary programs in Canada. These schools only accept under 300 students a year.
These ambitious students are then faced with years of grueling, competitive schooling that prepares them for a career where that same grueling non-stop schedule dictates their lives. All of this can only happen if these students either have parents who can afford to put them through school or if they choose to take on the mountain of debt they will accumulate.
Not only is Canada as a whole facing a shortage of vets, but the Pontiac has uniquely difficult circumstances when it comes to finding veterinarians. Despite having a lot of livestock, horses and small animals, the Pontiac is deeply limited in finding vets because of location. This is because there is only one veterinary school in Quebec, that takes under 50 students a year. We are limited to vets in the province or that can pass their Quebec licensing test which is only available in French.
Furthermore, it would seem that the Pontiac is not an area that attracts young Francophones. Maybe it’s the proximity to Ontario, the distance from Montreal or Quebec City, or maybe the high population of anglophones, but it doesn’t seem like this is a place where vets would like to settle. Furthermore, the Pontiac is one of the poorest regions in the province, which may discourage vets (who are hoping to make money) from moving here.
This problem is made significantly worse by Bill 96 and the new language laws. Veterinarians who are not considered historic anglophones are now forced to pass the language requirement within six months of their arrival to the province. Vets from outside of the province, working in Quebec have to pass a test to work within the province.
This is only a realistic possibility if they are already bilingual, otherwise it is unlikely for a vet to find the time or energy to study a new language on top of their already overloaded work schedule.This puts constraints on a needed profession which does not need a language requirement to be effective. Not sure if legislators even considered that animals do not speak any human languages, and that it is ridiculous for their care to be restricted because of legislation surrounding human communication.
Last week, I went to an event by the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ). During this event, my coworker asked Premier of Quebec Francois Legault his response on the issues affecting the Pontiac that were brought on by his introduction of Bill 96. Legault denied the fact that veterinary care and other industries would be affected by the bill. His answer made me boil with anger.
If the exchange showed anything, it is that it is difficult to see leadership coming from the provincial government to ease the vet shortage and begin healing all the problems that it causes anytime soon. We need to start thinking as a community about how we can not only attract new vets, but ensure they are valued as much as they should be. We can do a lot better as a society, and we need to start now.
Eva Baldi
