The Alberta Medical Association is asking Premier Alison Redford to step up to the bargaining table after she announced a four year deal with teachers on Friday.
That same day, Global News obtained a letter from Alberta Health Minister Fred Horne that demands doctors agree to a $275 million pay cut.
Now, the President of the Alberta Medical Association is speaking out.
"I think it's the most anti-physician province in the country," Dr. Michael Giuffre said.
The AMA says Health Minister Fred Horne is refusing to send the matter to binding arbitration, a suggestion offered by independent facilitators.
"The minister needs to come to the table. If he has a position we're happy to hear it. No matter what it is - if it's the budget position, put it on the table and sit at the table and negotiate and don't try to just tell us what you think is best for physicians and Albertans."
"We've been at the bargaining table for two years now and as far as I know we're still at the bargaining table," Horner countered.
He has given doctors a week to respond with ways to work within the $3.4 billion dollars in funding laid out in Alberta's budget.
"The question is" Horner added, "how do we manage within that $3.4 billion budget to pay just under 8,000 doctors in Alberta?"
The AMA says job action is not being considered at this time, but others fear there could be longer lasting effects.
"I think that there's going to be a chain reaction on this," said Jade Boldt of Friends of Medicare. "What is the level of trust now between the doctors and the government?"
"If we have Obama care in 2014," saod Giuffre, "and we have 34 million Americans coming forth to get their health care that were not covered in the past, boy, there's going to be a lot of physicians with their phones ringing to see if they'll come down to the United States."
Global News did call the Premier's office for a comment on Saturday. Our calls, however, were not returned.
With files from Tracy Nagai, Global News
© Global News. A division of Shaw Media Inc., 2013.