With a ratio of about 2.8 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, Canada ranked 27th among the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2021. Moreover, La Presse points out, official data for 2022 show that “only 36.5% of immigrants with a foreign nursing degree and 41.1% with a medical degree are practicing their profession.
The Toronto Star recounts the case of a 26-year-old Syrian doctor who, once she arrived in Canada, worked as a cashier in a one-price store before eventually becoming a pharmacy assistant. “Her case is far from unique,” the newspaper says.
The Canadian Medical Association supports the idea of pan-Canadian licensure. Ottawa is also ready for this change, the radio network writes.
In renegotiating a federal-provincial health agreement in February 2023, the CBC notes, “the government sought to push the provinces toward national credential recognition, committing them to ease the way for foreign-trained workers.
The network recalls that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time, “We will ask provinces and territories to recognize credentials across Canada, so that our well-trained health professionals can work where there is a need.
