Notify foreign-trained health workers
Petitioners ask Canada to notify foreign-trained healthcare workers within 60 days of eligibility and to fix housing shortages. The government responds: provinces hold jurisdiction; FPT ministers aim faster credentialing (90-day target) and federal housing support.
Why we would sign this petition
- Faster notification would reduce idle delays so qualified foreign-trained staff can begin work sooner, helping hospitals fill vacancies and stabilize emergency services.
- A 60-day deadline creates a clear, measurable target to drive credential-recognition reforms and intergovernmental accountability.
- Addressing housing shortages removes a practical barrier to recruitment, making it easier for hospitals to hire and retain staff.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Licensing and regulation are provincial responsibilities, so federal direction may have limited power to force 60-day notifications.
- A 60-day timeline may be unrealistic given complex credential verification and immigration steps; the government’s FPT goal is 90 days.
- Solving local housing shortages needs long-term investment and coordination; federal programs may not quickly provide enough local units.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA WHEREAS Across British Columbia, hospitals are facing repeated closures of their emergency rooms, often with incredibly short notice; The emergency room at the Lillooet Hospital has been closed eight times in recent months, while Mission Memorial Hospital's emergency room shut four times in August alone; Some of the closures took place during the Chilcotin landslide and on the hottest day of 2024; Hospital closures are regularly blamed on staffing shortages; British Columbia's Minister of Health has refused to meet with municipal governments to address these issues; and Delays in credential recognition for foreign-trained healthcare workers and a critical lack of housing supply make staff recruitment challenging for local health authorities. THEREFORE We, the undersigned citizens and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to work with provincial counterparts to ensure that foreign-trained healthcare workers are notified within 60 days of their eligibility to practice and to address the severe lack of available housing units that impede the ability of hospitals to recruit new staff.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Health Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Maggie Chi While the federal government provides financial support to the provinces and territories for health care services, the responsibility for matters related to the administration and delivery of these services, including health profession education and training, falls within provincial and territorial jurisdiction. The Government of Canada has taken an active role in working with provincial and territorial governments and key health care system stakeholders, to identify both immediate and longer-term solutions to address significant health workforce issues. This includes action on retention efforts to support the workforce currently caring for Canadians, recruitment to develop the future workforce, and better data to allow for improved and long-term workforce planning. On January 30, 2025, federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) Health Ministers met to discuss shared priorities within the health sector, including the health workforce. They noted significant progress towards commitments they made in 2023 on enhancing health workforce retention and domestic supply, streamlining the recognition of internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs), and breaking down barriers that prevent labour mobility. At this meeting, Ministers welcomed collaborative work amongst governments to examine challenges and opportunities in Canada’s capacity to train health workers, and also approved an ethical recruitment framework that will help guide the international recruitment of health personnel. In recognition of the key role Internationally-trained Health Professionals (IEHPs) play within Canada’s health system, FPT Health Ministers have committed to reducing the time it takes for them to join Canada’s health workforce by encouraging and facilitating IEHPs to begin undertaking credentialing processes overseas, and by striving to provide licensure to qualified physicians and nurses within 90 days once source verification of credentials are confirmed and immigration approvals are in place. In addition, Budget 2024 committed up to $77.1 million over four years, starting in 2025-26, to more effectively integrate IEHPs into Canada’s health workforce by creating 120 specific training positions, increasing assessment capacity, and providing support to navigate credential recognition systems. These initiatives will help address the health workforce shortages across Canada and support the continued provision of quality health care to Canadians. For interested and qualified health care professionals already living here in Canada, the federal government will continue working with provincial and territorial partners to streamline credential recognition for internationally trained doctors and nurses, so that these professionals can contribute to our health system. Response by the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Jennifer McKelvie, M.P. The Government of Canada recognizes that Canada is in a housing crisis, and that there is a need to increase the supply of housing to meet demand. Since the launch of the National Housing Strategy in 2017, the federal government has committed more than $65 billion to support the creation of over 166,000 new housing units. Federal initiatives to increase supply and improve affordability include: Removing the Goods and Services Tax on the construction of new rental buildings to bring down the costs of homebuilding; Eliminating the Goods and Services Tax for first-time homebuyers purchasing new homes at or under $1 million and reducing the Goods and Services Tax for new homes priced between $1 million and $1.5 million; Investing $14.6 billion through the Affordable Housing Fund to deliver low-interest loans and contributions that support the construction, repair, and renewal of affordable and community housing; Supporting the construction of a new generation of co-op rental housing through the $1.5 billion Co-op Housing Development Program; Providing $55 billion through the Apartment Construction Loan Program to provide low-interest loans to builders and developers to boost the construction of rental housing; and Launching the $4.4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund, incentivizing communities to remove barriers and speed up the construction of housing. The Government of Canada is launching Build Canada Homes to accelerate the construction of affordable housing, provide low-cost financing and capital, and scale up the construction of homes in a way that drives innovation to build more homes faster. The Government of Canada is committed to working with all levels of government, local communities and stakeholders to find and implement long-term solutions to housing challenges across Canada.