Staff shortages, long wait times, and burnout—these are the reasons doctors in Canada are calling for the toppling of barriers that hamper their ability to practise medicine across the country’s different provinces and territories.
Doctors must hold a separate licence for each jurisdiction, and “with few exceptions, practising in a different province or territory involves a burdensome application process and thousands of dollars in fees,” Canadian Medical Association (CMA) president Dr. Joss Reimer said in a
press release on Feb. 24.
“This fragmented approach contrasts with the spirit of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement to support mobility rights of workers—and patients pay the price.”
The CMA noted that many Canadians are
unable to access health care that is medically necessary. It said 6.5 million Canadians don’t have a regular health-care provider and have to turn to walk-in clinics and emergency departments, leading to longer wait times and emergency department overload, which in turn overwhelm others parts of the health-care system.
In addition, “Only 8% of medical professionals support 18% of Canadians who live in rural or remote communities,” the national advocacy association said. It said some communities have to regularly close emergency departments “for indeterminate periods” due to staff shortages, giving as an example the town of Hay River in the Northwest Territories.
Moreover, the CMA pointed to its latest National Physician Health
Survey, conducted in November 2021, which indicated that 53 percent of the respondents
—which included both physicians and “medical learners”—reported high levels of burnout, up from 30 percent in 2017.
All of which could be greatly eased, the CMA said, by removing licensing barriers between provinces.
The association is calling on governments to implement its proposed “
pan-Canadian licensure.“ Designed to ease the ”workforce crisis” and bolster the struggling health system, the licensure would allow fully licensed doctors registered in any Canadian jurisdiction to practise in any other Canadian jurisdiction without having to acquire more than one licence or pay additional licensing fees. It would also provide the same mobility for medical resident trainees.
Currently, several provinces have already initiated actions in this direction. The federal government has also pledged to implement a similar policy while providing funds to see it though.
In May 2023, the Atlantic provinces launched the Atlantic Physician Registry, allowing doctors to practise across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
In October 2023, the federal, provincial, and territorial health ministers pledged to develop a
new process to allow physicians in good standing to practise across the country. This effort also includes expediting the process for recognizing foreign credentials, making it easier for foreign trained health professionals to practice in Canada.
The government also announced in July 2024 that it had allotted more than $47 million toward “
innovative projects“ to support and retain members of the health workforce, including $13 million over five fiscal years for the operation and expansion of a National Registry of Physicians.
In its Feb. 24 statement, the CMA also applauded new pledges announced in January 2025 by the Committee on Internal Trade, which it said will facilitate the labour mobility of Canadian professional who wish to work across jurisdictions.
“By working together with our provincial and territorial colleagues to remove internal trade and labour mobility barriers, we can unlock new market opportunities, attract investment and boost economic growth,” Anita Anand, minister of transport and internal trade, said in a Jan. 31
press release. “Team Canada continues to work for the good of our economy, our businesses and all Canadians.”
