The head of a Quebec nurses' union says the provincial government will be in for a fight if it doesn't commit to improve nurses' working conditions.
Nancy Bedard says the union will press for a new law to limit nurse-to-patient ratios when they meet the health minister on Tuesday.
Health-care workers have been speaking out in recent weeks, saying they're burned out, exhausted and angry.
Many say they are forced to work mandatory overtime shifts and are too understaffed to properly care for patients.
A young nurse from the Eastern Townships, Émilie Ricard, recently expressed her distress and described her burnout in a viral message on social media.
"I don't want to go to work because I'm dreading the burden that's waiting for me," she admitted. "I'm coming home and I'm crying and tired."
Bedard said the problem has been going on for years but has been made much worse by austerity measures brought in by the province in 2015.
Health Minister Gaetan Barrette has promised to work with nurses to resolve their concerns.
—with files from CJAD 800