In the previous 10 years, Canada has had a population growth of over five million people, but during that same period, the country has only added 167 medical residencies. As a result, many Canadians are finding it more and more difficult to have regular access to a family physician. A piece published by CBC News in late January states as much, adding that "more than 6.5 million Canadians do not have regular access to a family doctor."
For Canadians, the country's population expansion has had significant ramifications because it has coincided with a number of variables that are working against the availability of family doctors across the nation. Governments at all levels—federal, provincial, and territorial—are making an effort to address this issue by bringing in more skilled healthcare workers.
Statistics from the Government of Canada from December 2022 state that "one out of every four healthcare sector workers" in Canada are immigrants. When considering healthcare workers in Canada by occupation, the percentage of immigrants is as follows:
In spite of this, International Medical Graduates (IMGs), or foreign nationals trained as physicians abroad, frequently encounter difficulties securing a medical residency in Canada because of "quotas on how many [IMGs] can get a spot," according to CBC News.
Furthermore, IMGs often choose to refrain from pursuing careers in medicine in Canada. Canada's healthcare system is affected by this, according to CMA President Dr. Kathleen Ross, as "the country isn't producing nearly enough homegrown primary care doctors to keep up with the country's health needs." As a result, even though Canada's healthcare sector depends on doctors with foreign training to support its native-born workforce, immigrants confront particular challenges that may keep them from entering the field.
Investing in international credential recognition is one way Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to solve the issue, in addition to bringing more skilled healthcare professionals to Canada (more on that later).
A press release issued in January by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) detailed a government initiative that will award up to $86 million in grants to fifteen groups around Canada.
"Increase capacity for [the] foreign credential recognition of approximately 6600 internationally educated health professionals, [supporting] highly educated and skilled immigrants [to ensure they] receive proper recognition for their international credentials," is how the ESDC states that this funding will be put to use. If you wish to know which immigration program would be best suited for you and your family, we encourage you to take a FREE assessment.
Canada's population is growing at a record rate, with the third quarter of 2023 seeing the greatest rate of population increase in a single quarter since 1957. Nevertheless, there are a number of reasons why the supply of family physicians cannot keep up.
Family medicine is becoming less popular among recent medical graduates.
According to the CBC News article from January, Canadian medical graduates are becoming less interested in family medicine. First, in the last nine years, the proportion of graduates who "picked family medicine as their discipline for residency training" has decreased by more than seven percent, according to a Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) report that CBC News reported. Thirty-three percent of graduates in 2023 chose family medicine, compared to 37.8% in 2014.
In addition, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) predicts that each year, over 1,000 more family physicians are "leaving the profession" than are "entering the workforce." CBC News was informed by Ivy Lynn Bourgeault, director of the Canada Health Workforce Network, that an increasing number of family physicians are earning certifications to work in emergency, sports, and anesthesiology, among other fields, which requires them to leave the clinic setting.
When considered collectively, these facts show that Canadians who want to work in healthcare are not interested in the field, which has resulted in a major barrier to family medicine availability.
Medical residencies have barely expanded
"Canada's medical schools are admitting only 167 more doctors for mandatory postgraduate training than they did 10 years ago," as was previously reported by CBC News. Based on federal data quoted by CBC News, this is concerning because population forecasts indicate that Canada will require nearly 49,000 more family doctors by 2031.
Thankfully, a few province governments are attempting to address this issue by planning to increase the number of medical schools in the upcoming years. Provincial and territorial governments "are largely responsible for physician training and licensing" since they oversee healthcare.
At the federal level, Canada is investing in the acknowledgment of international credentials and hopes to increase the number of foreign-trained physicians entering the nation through its category-based Express Entry. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) implemented category-based draws, a type of Express Entry draw, in May 2023 in an effort to pull in more foreign nationals with work experience in Canada's most sought-after employment areas. Through these draws, the IRCC is prioritizing five occupational categories, with healthcare being one of them.
Lastly, three provinces' medical schools are taking action at the provincial level to either create new medical schools or expand their current ones. All these promises are detailed in the most current CBC News piece.
Prince Edward Island (PEI): In the autumn of 2025, a new medical school will open at the University of PEI.
British Columbia (BC) : Simon Fraser University in British Columbia (BC) has declared its intention to establish a new medical school at its Surrey campus in 2026.
Ontario : For the next five years, the province plans to create 449 additional "postgraduate medical training spaces." Of these, 154 spots at various medical schools in the province "are expected to come online later" in 2024.
Check if you qualify to migrate to Canada. Check out Owlspriority Immigration’s Canada Settlement Resources to learn about finding employment in Canada, making your initial days stress-free, etc.
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