Health

This House of Commons Standing Committee on Health meeting studied the impact of immigration policy on health care and barriers to integrating internationally trained health professionals. Appearing were officials from the Department of Health and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, followed by representatives from the Canadian Dental Association, the Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence, and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada.

Jocelyne Voisin from Health Canada described critical health workforce shortages and noted that immigration is vital to addressing them, but internationally educated professionals face complex, costly credential recognition processes under provincial jurisdiction. She highlighted federal investments including a $97 million foreign credential recognition action fund in Budget 2025, funding for new training positions and assessment capacity, and national registries for physician and nursing licensure data to improve labour mobility.

Soyoung Park from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada outlined three federal approaches: temporary foreign worker programs that fill immediate gaps, permanent residence programs that admitted over 11,000 health care workers in 2024, and settlement services that help newcomers navigate credential recognition. She argued that limiting permanent residence options for internationally trained professionals would reduce the pool of qualified candidates who could later obtain a licence and contribute to the health system.

Louise Baird from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada confirmed that provinces have flexibility to use the Provincial Nominee Program to target health care workforce needs, and that about 35% of health care admissions between 2023 and 2025 came through regional programs. She also noted that the federal government has compensated Quebec approximately $1.1 billion since 2017 for asylum claimant costs, and is reviewing Quebec’s additional request for $733 million.

Dr. Aaron Burry from the Canadian Dental Association reported that 80% of dental offices face staffing shortages, with over 7,200 positions unfilled in 2023, and that the Canadian Dental Care Plan rollout has increased demand. He called on the federal government to restore post-graduation work permit eligibility for dental assisting, which was recently removed, arguing that dental assisting meets the government’s own criteria for fields facing long-term shortages.

Dr. Keri McAdoo from the Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence described PACE as a scalable, workplace-based assessment program for internationally trained physicians that also operates a primary care clinic serving thousands of patients. She noted that PACE is expanding to a second clinic and a hospitalist assessment program, and that physicians receive a stipend during assessment, but acknowledged that housing and financial challenges remain for participants.

Dr. Peter Nickerson from the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada explained that Canada’s physician shortage stems from decades of underfunding medical school and residency positions, with only one in five medical school applicants admitted. He noted that visa trainees are accepted only after all provincially funded residency spots are filled, and that increasing funded residency positions and practice-ready assessment capacity are key solutions, citing Manitoba’s one-year bridging program for internationally trained physicians as a leading model.

During the question period, officials from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada confirmed that rejected asylum claimants remain eligible for the Interim Federal Health Program during appeal periods, and that the department does not track “bogus” claimants separately. They also agreed to table data on work permits for Saudi-funded visa trainees, breakdowns of IFHP beneficiaries by category, and information on onward migration of medical professionals. Dr. Nickerson stated that visa trainees do not take spots from Canadians and that the cost per trainee is similar to provincial funding for Canadian residents, while Dr. McAdoo noted that federal funding could help expand orientation and mentorship supports for internationally trained physicians.

The committee adjourned after a motion to end the meeting was carried on a recorded vote of five to four, cutting short further witness testimony.