95% of Doctors Would Support Pan-Canadian Medical Licensing: Survey

A surgery in performed at the operating room at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children on Nov. 30, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young)

Nearly all doctors in Canada say they are supportive of changes to medical licensing that would enable them to provide care to patients anywhere in the country, a new survey by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) indicates.

The poll, completed with over 5,000 practicing and retired doctors and medical learners, found that 95 percent of respondents support the idea of having a pan-Canadian licensing program that would free up physician mobility and improve access to patient care.

“Canadian patients and health care providers are struggling with the greatest health human resources crisis our country has ever seen,” said Dr. Alika Lafontaine, CMA president, in a news release on Jan. 30.

“Solutions to solve this crisis must ensure patients receive timely care and providers can work in environments where they are supported to thrive.”

Survey respondents said the potential benefits of pan-Canadian licensure include improving access to health care in rural, remote, and northern communities (75 percent) and to primary and specialty care (71 percent). The online survey was conducted from Nov. 18 to Nov. 30, 2022.

Eighty-seven percent said it will also permit the greater use of temporary placements for physicians and locums, as well as make Canada a more attractive place for internationally trained medical graduates to practice medicine (73 percent), the survey found.

‘Complicated, Time-Consuming, and Costly’

CMA noted physicians currently are required to have individual medical licenses in each province or territory where they practice.

“This means that a physician can’t easily travel to another province to help a colleague or provide care for patients in need without obtaining a license in that province or territory; a process that can be complicated, time-consuming, and costly,” the association said.

More than three-quarters (77 percent) of the respondents cited complexity of the application process to obtain a licence outside their home provinces as the biggest hurdle while 68 percent said the processing time is another major roadblock.

The cost of getting a licence in other jurisdictions (64 percent) was also mentioned as one of the main obstacles.

On Jan. 19, the Ontario government announced its “as of right” rules which will see health care professionals registered in other provinces and territories to “immediately start working and caring for people in Ontario.” Legislative changes will be introduced in February, the government said at the time.

Ontario’s move came a month after the Atlantic provinces announced their plan to improve interprovincial mobility of health care workers. “Premiers are working towards an Atlantic system to allow physicians to move and practice throughout the region,” said the provinces in a joint release on Dec. 19.

The CMA, which has been advocating for a pan-Canadian licensing program, agreed with the provinces’ initiatives.

“These are encouraging steps,” Lafontaine said. “The CMA is ready and willing to partner with governments and other stakeholders to improve the health system.”

The poll is considered accurate within plus or minus 1.33 percentage points 19 times out of 20.