3.1. The Government shall determine, each year, the number of medical training positions available within the scope of a postgraduate medical training program. The number of such positions must include(1) the training periods in general practice or family medicine;
(2) the other training periods required for any of the specialties recognized in a regulation under the Medical Act (chapter M-9).
The Government may, with a view to furthering the apportionment of medical resources among the regions on the basis of rational considerations, authorize, each year, a certain number of the medical training positions prescribed in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, subject to the acceptance, by the trainee, of an undertaking with a penal clause, where such is the case, to practise in the region or establishment determined by the Minister for a period not exceeding four years. The number of such positions must not exceed 25 % of the positions which, among all the positions prescribed in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, are intended for new medical trainees.
Where a position referred to in the second paragraph is not filled, it automatically becomes a medical training position in general practice or in family medicine, without an undertaking to practise in a determined region or establishment.
In addition, the Government may, where it deems it expedient, authorize, under the conditions prescribed in the second paragraph, an additional number of postgraduate medical training positions intended for graduate students of universities or schools situated outside Canada and the United States subject to the acceptance, by the trainee, of an undertaking with a penal clause, where such is the case, to practise in the region or establishment determined by the Minister for a period of four years.
The number of positions referred to in the second paragraph shall be determined by the Minister after consultation with the Corporation professionnelle des médecins du Québec, the deans of the faculties of medicine of Québec universities and the health and social service councils of the regions where the trainees are to practise.