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

Canada has a unique chance to become a medical and scientific powerhouse — if it moves quickly to scoop up professionals leaving the United States in the wake of health cuts and layoffs, the head of the Canadian Medical Association says.

Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association, says American medical professionals often face two big barriers when trying to emigrate from the U.S. to Canada, as they "may need to go through immigration, or they may need to get their training — if they did some of it in the United States — recognized in Canada."

Her organization is urging the federal government to ensure visas are fast-tracked for American physicians interested in moving north and other unnecessary steps in the immigration process "get removed so that we don't miss this window of opportunity."

Reimer says the best way for Canada to attract more American talent is for the federal government to work on immigration pathways while provinces and territories work on licensing issues with their regulatory bodies.

"We really have a window to be able to find a silver lining in all of the things that are happening in the U.S., to bring a wealth of expertise and physicians to Canada," she said.

It's unclear how many U.S. health-care workers and researchers will ultimately emigrate to Canada due to recent funding and job slashes down south, but Reimer says their interest is clear.

The Medical Council of Canada, which assesses and validates physician credentials, said that over the past six months, about 120 medical graduates per month in the U.S. opened an online account on its website — an initial step in pursuing a Canadian licence.

That's up from about 10 new online accounts opened every month by American graduates during the same period the year before.

Four provinces — Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia — have already established a fast-tracked path for U.S. physicians to become licensed, according to Reimer.

Manitoba is not yet one of those provinces, but its premier says his government is trying to take advantage of internationally trained doctors looking to leave the U.S.

Provincial recruiters were working with six doctors just last week in efforts to bring them to Manitoba, according to Premier Wab Kinew.

"We're going beyond just knocking down the barriers to entry," he told reporters on Thursday. "We're also in the design stages of an advertising campaign."

Neighbouring Saskatchewan launched its own campaign this week, targeting doctors amid what the province called an "uncertain political climate in the United States."

Katrina Philopoulos, the director of physician recruitment at Nova Scotia Health, says her province has been engaging with physicians in the U.S. for several years and is starting to see jumps in recruitment.