Health workforce

On December 8, 2025, the Government of Canada announced targeted measures to make the path to permanent residence simpler for internationally trained physicians. The measures include creating a new Express Entry Category for physicians, additional federal immigration spaces for provinces and territories to nominate doctors with job offers for permanent residency, and 14-day processing of work permits.

• At the January 2025 federal, provincial and territorial health ministers’ meeting, ministers reiterated their commitment to address the challenges facing Canada's health workforce.
  • Health ministers also approved and published Caring for Canadians: Canada’s Future Health Workforce, a study of Canada's capacity to educate and train key health workers domestically.
  • Health ministers agreed to publish guidance on recruiting and retaining international health professionals:
    • Ethical framework for the recruitment and retention of internationally educated health professionals in Canada

• Invested $22.5 million for  Health Workforce Canada to make health workforce data more accessible and share practical solutions and innovative practices to address key gaps and challenges in health workforce planning.
• Invested $13 million for the Medical Council of Canada to operate and expand the National Registry of Physicians, a central location for physician data, which will improve decision-making in the health care system.
• Invested more than $330,000 for the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada to improve physician licensing standards and processes in Canada.
• Invested $11.6 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and partners to teams that are investigating ways to strengthen and support Canada's health workforce.
• Developed the Nursing Retention Toolkit, in collaboration with the nursing community, to help improve the working lives of nurses.
  • The toolkit has been shared widely throughout the health care system, including with nurses, nursing employers and health authorities.
• Announced a 50% increase to the maximum amount of forgivable Canada Student Loans for eligible family physicians, family medicine residents, nurses and nurse practitioners working in underserved rural and remote communities.
  • This change will help about 3,000 doctors and nurses in the first year and reach up to 8,000 each year after 2032–33.
• Invested up to $86 million in 15 organizations in Canada to increase capacity for the foreign credential recognition of about 6,600 internationally educated health professionals.
  • This investment supports simplified foreign credential recognition processes for internationally educated health professionals.

• Welcomed Health Workforce Canada, a new, independent organization, which is mandated to:
  • collect and share health workforce data
  • share practical solutions and innovative practices
  • work with the Canadian Institute for Health Information and health care system stakeholders
• Invested $3.5 million over 5 years to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to develop a national plan for health workforce well-being to improve retention.
• Funded initiatives to help internationally educated health professionals put their skills to work in Canada more quickly, such as:
  • $1.49 million for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to expand and expedite the specialist Practice Eligibility Route for international medical graduates
  • $500,000 for the Medical Council of Canada to better understand the barriers to existing programs
• Issued a federal, provincial and territorial statement on supporting Canada's health workforce at the October 2023 health minister’s meeting to take concrete action to address challenges facing Canada’s health workforce, such as:
  • collaborate on retention issues
  • undertake a study of the education and training supply and demand for key health professions
  • reduce the time it takes for internationally educated health professionals to join Canada’s health workforce
  • increase the sharing and standardization of health workforce data
• Worked with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada on category-based selection so Canada can invite permanent residents with specific work experience in health care to apply.
  • This was part of the first-ever launch of category-based selection for Canada’s flagship economic immigration management system known as Express Entry.
• Invested $78.5 million in 3 projects to help train and retain more health care providers, under the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program through Employment Social Development Canada.
• Hosted the Nursing Retention Forum led by Canada's Chief Nursing Officer, with key members of the nursing community, to co-develop a Nursing Retention Toolkit.
• Announced $2.4 million to the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing to help implement and evaluate a National Nurse Residency Program.
  • The program will help newly graduated registered nurses transition from classroom to workplace through competency-based workshops and mentorship opportunities.

• Convened a stakeholder symposium in spring 2022 to better understand the challenges facing the health workforce, where we:
  • identified potential areas for action and possible solutions to health workforce challenges
  • engaged with stakeholders to refine and align actions
    • Read the summary report.
• Announced the appointment of Dr. Leigh Chapman as the federal Chief Nursing Officer on August 23, 2022, who is:
  • looking at nursing issues from a federal focus
  • providing strategic advice from a nursing perspective to Health Canada on priority policy and program areas and working closely with provinces and territories, stakeholders and regulatory bodies
• Established a Coalition for Action for Health Workers, which will look at short- and long-term solutions to address significant health workforce challenges, so people in Canada can access the quality care they need and deserve.

In Budget 2022, Canada:

• announced $26.2 million in funding to increase the forgivable amount of student loans for doctors and nurses who practise in rural and remote communities
• expanded the list of eligible professionals under the loan forgiveness program to help bring more health workers to communities that need them most
• provided another $140 million over 2 years to the Wellness Together Canada portal, which offered free, confidential mental health and substance supports to individuals and tools for frontline health workers
  • Canadians and health workers accessed these online services through PocketWell, the companion app to the portal.
• provided $115 million over 5 years, with $30 million ongoing, to expand the Foreign Credential Recognition Program, which:
  • helped up to 11,000 internationally trained health professionals each year get their credentials recognized and find work in their field
  • supported projects (such as standardized national exams, easier access to information, faster timelines and less red tape) that reduced barriers to foreign credential recognition for health workers
• helped reduce barriers to internal trade and labour mobility, such as in the health sector, by working with provincial and territorial governments and regulators to evaluate and, where appropriate, remove obstacles

Canada also provided a $2 billion top-up to the Canada Health Transfer, to the provinces and territories, to reduce backlogs caused by COVID-19. This helped support the health and well-being of people in Canada and those on the frontlines of our health care system.

This investment is in addition to the $4 billion invested in 2021 to help provinces and territories address immediate health care system pressures. This money is distributed equally per capita through the Canada Health Transfer.

• Amended the Criminal Code (under former Bill C-3) to ensure health workers are safe and free from threats, violence and harassment.
• Provided $100 million over 3 years, through Budget 2021, to support the mental health of people in Canada who have been most affected by COVID-19 and $50 million to help those with post-traumatic stress disorder due to the pandemic, including frontline and essential service providers.
• Announced additional funding through Budget 2021 for Employment and Social Development Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program.
  • The program helps key sectors of the economy, including health, address workforce needs, such as labour shortages.