N.L. family fights admissions process to MUN’s medical school, says it discriminates against military members

For Rebecca McDonald, it’s long been a dream to study medicine, become a doctor and practise at home — in Newfoundland and Labrador.

But with that dream in arm’s reach, she’s hit an unexpected roadblock — the question of whether she’s a resident of the province.

"I want to provide for this community," McDonald said, sitting on the couch in her Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s home.

"It's really, really disheartening to be told that this essentially is not my home in the eyes of the medical school."

McDonald, who’s in the last year of her undergraduate studies at Memorial University, applied to the faculty of medicine in August — for the Newfoundland and Labrador competition pool, which reserves 81 seats per year for provincial students.

According to the university’s website, 250 to 275 applications usually come in for these spots.

"The problem is, we are a military family and MUN Med has very specific qualifications for what counts as a Newfoundlander," said McDonald.

"So, they are denying me consideration as a Newfoundland resident."

At the heart of the issue is McDonald’s father Tony and his service in the Canadian Armed Forces, which meant the family has moved across the country throughout his daughter’s life.

So instead, McDonald is considered a Canadian resident, and is now finding herself competing with more than 450 others for only six spots.

For Tony McDonald, that feels "surreal, shocking, absurd."

"Memorial University is named in honour of the service of military members, and then they turn around in 2025 and discriminate against someone because of military service," he said.

"It's so unbelievable, it's hard to put words to it."

While Rebecca was born in Newfoundland and Labrador, the family moved to Petawawa, Ont. when she was two years old, and then, when she was 12, to Gagetown, N.B.