Between the 1960s and the mid-1980s, resident doctors fought several struggles to improve their situation with respect to issues which are still topical today (obtaining compensation in line with their responsibilities, providing for time limits on work days, obtaining leave, limiting the frequency and duration of call duty, etc.). In the mid-1980s, as labour law evolved, particularly with the advent of the charters of human rights and freedoms, resident physicians decided to unionize. The Quebec government vigorously opposed that intention, but the administrative agencies responsible for implementing the provisions of the Labour Code recognized residents’ right to unionize, a fundamental right associated with freedom of association and expression specifically protected by the charters of rights.