Canada must seize 'window of opportunity' to attract U.S. scientists, health-care workers: medical association

Ozten Shebahkeget · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 5:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Canada has a unsocial accidental to go a aesculapian and technological powerhouse — if it moves rapidly to scoop up professionals leaving the United States successful the aftermath of wellness cuts and layoffs, the caput of the Canadian Medical Association says.

Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association, says American aesculapian professionals often look 2 large barriers erstwhile trying to emigrate from the U.S. to Canada, as they "may request to spell done immigration, oregon they whitethorn request to get their grooming — if they did immoderate of it successful the United States — recognized successful Canada."

Her enactment is urging the national authorities to guarantee visas are fast-tracked for American physicians funny successful moving north and different unnecessary steps successful the migration process "get removed truthful that we don't miss this model of opportunity."

Reimer says the champion mode for Canada to pull much American endowment is for the national authorities to enactment connected migration pathways portion provinces and territories enactment connected licensing issues with their regulatory bodies.

"We truly person a model to beryllium capable to find a metallic lining successful each of the things that are happening successful the U.S., to bring a wealthiness of expertise and physicians to Canada," she said.

'This is the sunnier side'

It's unclear however galore U.S. health-care workers and researchers volition yet emigrate to Canada owed to caller backing and occupation slashes down south, but Reimer says their involvement is clear.

The Medical Council of Canada, which assesses and validates doc credentials, said that implicit the past six months, astir 120 aesculapian graduates per period successful the U.S. opened an online relationship connected its website — an archetypal measurement successful pursuing a Canadian licence.

That's up from astir 10 caller online accounts opened each period by American graduates during the aforesaid play the twelvemonth before.

There's ever country for betterment successful Canada's cosmopolitan health-care system, and it tin mean little power for physicians successful immoderate ways, but "in galore ways, it's truthful overmuch better" than the American system, Reimer said.

For example, U.S. doctors thin to woody with much paperwork than their Canadian counterparts owed the country's deficiency of cosmopolitan health-care coverage, she said.

They besides don't ever get to marque the champion determination for a patient if insurers get successful the way, oregon if those patients are incapable to wage for care, Reimer said. That highlights "a fantastic difference" betwixt the Canadian and American systems.

The U.S. does tend to wage higher salaries for household physicians than astir each different country, but those doctors are much apt to get sued than anyplace other successful the world, Reimer said.

"The dollar worth doesn't bespeak each of the take-home income concerns, astatine the extremity of the day," she said.

"We anticipation that, by demonstrating to them that there's an enactment up here, that they truly volition spot that this is the sunnier side."

'Our wellness is besides being threatened'

The Canadian Medical Association welcomes immoderate doc who wants to marque the determination to Canada, but there's a dire request for household doctors, Reimer said. A Health Canada study published successful January recovered that Canada's household doc shortage was adjacent 23,000.

An estimated 6.5 cardinal Canadians don't person a household doctor.

U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to Canada's economical sovereignty person been apical of caput successful Canada's existent national predetermination campaign, but Reimer wants much enactment leaders to propulsion harder to pull American health-care workers and researchers.

Health needs to go a front-and-centre contented successful each governmental party's platform, due to the fact that it's interconnected with the economy, Reimer said.

"We cognize that income is the fig 1 determinant of health, and truthful that means our wellness is besides being threatened," she said.

"So far, I haven't heard a batch from the governmental parties astir however they're readying to amended wellness and wellness attraction successful Canada."