Ottawa Spending $86 Million to Speed Up Foreign Accreditation of Doctors, Nurses, Healthcare Workers

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on July 26, 2023. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Ottawa announced an $86 million investment in its foreign credential recognition program to address the healthcare professional labour shortage in Canada.

The funding will accelerate foreign credential recognition so that approximately 6,600 internationally educated health professionals can join the country’s workforce, Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said during a Jan. 15 press conference in Winnipeg.

Canada’s healthcare sector continues to have a high level of job vacancies, with a total of 90,000 unfilled positions in health occupations as of last year, Mr. Boissonnault said. The investment is a bid to address long emergency room wait times and the shortage of family physicians, nurses, midwives, paramedics, respiratory therapists, and medical laboratory technologists.

“Without intervention, thousands more vacancies will appear and thousands more Canadians will not have access to quality health care,” he said.

“The foreign credentials recognition speeds up the accreditation for 6,600 people, and is not only the right thing to do but one of the best ways we can fill labour gaps, strengthen our healthcare system, and grow our economy.”

Under the new program, the funding will be distributed among 15 Canadian organizations to not only speed accreditation for internationally educated health professionals but also to provide them with relevant Canadian work experience in their intended fields, according to a government news release. The funding will also be used to reduce administrative barriers for health professionals who wish to work in another jurisdiction in Canada.

Dentistry Pilot Program

Mr. Boissonnault, who was speaking at the University of Manitoba’s College of Dentistry, said $8.3 million of the funding will be used to start a pilot program to more quickly train foreign-educated dentists.

Three universities—Laval, Dalhousie, and the University of Alberta—are spearheading the pilot program under the guidance of the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry. Once the pilot project is complete, the association plans to expand the program to all dental schools in Canada.

“Canada’s dental schools are excited to be taking the lead in developing new means to enable these international dentists to practice and so help fulfill the dental care needs of all Canadians, including new Canadians,” Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry president Jim Lai said in a government press release.

The $86 million in funding builds on the commitment made by the federal government with provinces and territories during the October 2023 health ministers’ meeting to take concrete steps to address challenges facing Canada’s health workforce, including reducing the time it takes for internationally educated health professionals to join the workforce.