Facilitate cross-provincial health care

AI summary

Petitioners ask the federal government to enable cross‑provincial agreements and federal licensing reciprocity so Alberta clinicians can provide ongoing non‑emergency care to British Columbia residents. The government responds it supports labour mobility and provincial agreements.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada Whereas: There are serious consequences arising from recent changes to interprovincial licensing and credentialing regulations that prevent Alberta-based healthcare professionals from providing established care to British Columbia residents; For decades, families in the eastern interior of BC have relied on Alberta facilities—particularly in Calgary because they are the closest accessible centres capable of providing specialized, multidisciplinary care; The new licensing restriction has forced many patients, including children with chronic and life-limiting conditions, to transfer their care to Vancouver or other distant centres; For residents of communities such as Fernie, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Golden, Invermere, Valemount, and Dawson Creek, this change has significantly increased required travel time, often forcing patients to cross dangerous mountain passes; and for families in the Elk Valley who previously travelled three hours to Calgary's Children's Hospital, care now requires an eleven-hour journey through frequently hazardous routes; and This transition has disrupted continuity of care, increased financial and logistical burdens on families, and has not demonstrated any improvement in patient outcomes. We, the undersigned, residents of British Columbia and Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Recognize the impact of these licensing changes on rural and border-region families; 2. Work with the Province of British Columbia to facilitate cross-provincial care agreements that reflect geographic reality; 3. Explore federal mechanisms to support licensing mobility and reciprocity so Canadians may access the nearest qualified care, regardless of provincial boundaries; and 4. Encourage an immediate review of all policies that restrict access to essential healthcare and support interim measures to maintain continuity of care.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Health Signed by Maggie Chi Our government recognizes the impact that changes to cross-border health care policies can have on access to care for Canadians, particularly in border regions and for individuals with complex or chronic health needs. Under the Canada Health Act, provinces and territories are required to extend public coverage (i.e. insure) to their own residents for medically necessary hospital and physician services provided on an urgent or emergent basis in another jurisdiction. However, the Act does not obligate provinces or territories to provide ongoing, non-emergency insured services to residents of other jurisdictions. Interprovincial and interterritorial access to care beyond emergency services is therefore governed by individual policies, administrative arrangements, and reciprocal billing practices within provincial and territorial jurisdictions. At the same time, the federal government has a key leadership role to play in supporting solutions to the challenges facing health systems across the country, including those related to access to care in rural and remote communities. This is why, through the Working Together bilateral agreements, we are providing provinces and territories with $25 billion over 10 years to advance shared health priorities through tailored bilateral agreements that support the needs of people in each province and territory. Improving access to family health services, including in rural and remote areas, is at the core of these agreements. This can include transforming the delivery of family health services through team-based care and virtual care models. Interprofessional team-based care has been, and continues to be, implemented across the country and helps to improve access and quality of care. Our government also supports labour mobility for health professionals as part of broader efforts to improve access to care, particularly in rural, remote, and border regions. While labour mobility for regulated professions is underpinned by the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, which supports mutual recognition of credentials while respecting provincial and territorial authority over regulation, current action is being advanced through the Forum of Labour Market Ministers. Federal, provincial and territorial Labour Market Ministers are focusing on reducing practical barriers to labour mobility across occupations, including health professions. Complementary federal investments are supporting the digital infrastructure needed to enable improved mobility, including funding for the National Registry of Physicians and support for the Nursys in Canada platform for nurses. Together, these initiatives reduce administrative burden, support timely credential verification, and help qualified nurses and physicians move and practise more easily across provinces and territories. Our work builds on actions by the previous government, including Budget investments that expanded student loan forgiveness to more health professionals working in rural or remote communities (e.g., paramedics, pharmacists). These financial incentives help attract health care providers to underserved areas by reducing their student debt in exchange for service. Our government continues to work closely with our provincial and territorial partners in finding ways to improve access to care and protect and strengthen the publicly funded health care system.