Full name
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Party
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Riding
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1. Even after international medical graduates prove their credentials and pass the mandatory exams to prove they have the necessary knowledge and skills, the Ministry of Health denies them access to 84% of the jobs (resident physician jobs) that are necessary to become licensed as doctors. Do you view this as an unfair process that immigrant physicians face?
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2. What will you do about it?
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Comments, questions or suggestions
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Bryn Smith
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BC NDP
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Surrey-White Rock
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Yes
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I will push to lower the barriers in place for Canadian immigrants keeping them from putting their skills to work, including across medicine and dentistry. Too many talented people I meet are asked the impossible through labyrinthine tests and regulatory requirements, only to be faced with nigh-unsolvable exam scenarios to ‘justify’ their exclusion from the medical system. Across Canadian society, we face shortages of good doctors, nurses, and dentists, yet foreign-born Canadians are still denied the opportunity to take on the work we need done. I am happy to take on the challenge of easing these barriers within my own province of BC.
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Thank you for reaching out to me! This is an issue close to me, and I was glad for the opportunity to make my position clear. – Bryn
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Harrison Johnston
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BC Green Party
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North Vancouver-Seymour
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Yes
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I will admit that this is not an issue that I am an expert on, but I absolutely believe it is important that all immigrant workers are treated fairly.
If I am elected I will work to do whatever I can to make sure that our current laws allow all immigrant workers, including physicians, a fair chance at the jobs they are qualified and trained for.
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Stephanie Hendy
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BC Greens
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Vancouver-Langara
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Yes
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I would work to increase the amount of available residency positions for IMGs (and overall available residency positions), and review why there is a discrepancy between the amount of exams required to practice between Canadian-trained physicians and IMGs. There should not be any barriers for internationally-trained physicians to have their credentials and experience reviewed.
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Rasoul Narimani
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BC Green
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West Vancouver-capilano
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Yes
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As an MLA I will push to resolve this situation.
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Nazanin Moghadami
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BC Green Party
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Vancouver- Kensington
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Yes
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Gather data- background, information on countries of training, stats, qualification process in Canada
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This is an issue that is close to my heart. I have had many friends who were practising medical professionals back in their country and when they moved to Canada (even though their medical experience and education were why they were allowed to immigrate), were not allowed to practice medicine. Some pursued the difficult path of being qualified here, and some chose different careers. I see the price- in time, energy, emotions, self confidence and money- that my friends paid. I think this is an unfair law and needs to be changed and updated to reflect the needs of the modern Canada.
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Cheryl Wiens
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BC Green Party
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Langley East
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Yes
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After working under supervision for the required period of time and passing all qualifying exams in Canada, immigrant physicians should be able to compete for positions the same as anyone else. I would work to see that happens.
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Chris Istace
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BC Greens
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Nanaimo – North Cowichan
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Yes
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Immigrants bring so much value to our communities. We are suffering from a lack of doctors who can aide people in our communities and this need not happen. By ensuring a fair and equitable evaluation process, created with equal input from all parties, we can ensure that foreign-trained physicians can practice in Canada. This process ensures the public confidence in the abilities of immigrant doctors, as well as honouring the tremendous skill of those doctors.
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Alexa Loo
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BC Liberal
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Richmond South Centre
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Yes
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Investigate a process to get physicians working here in BC.
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I understand that training doctors is actually a revenue stream for hospitals here in BC. Having doctors train elsewhere and then coming here to practice would undermine this process and move training of doctors outside of Canada – which isn’t what we want. What we do want, is new immigrants to be able to work in the fields and at the level that they are trained at as quickly as possible.
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Adam Olsen
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BC Green Party
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Saanich North and the Islands
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Yes
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I have actively advocated with the Ministry of Health and Island Health to change their practices for identifying where international doctors are able to work. My advocacy resulted in the policy change and a much larger geographic area for placements. There still needs to be systemic transformation to not discriminate against internationally trained physicians.
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BC NDP
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BC NDP
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All candidates
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Yes
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There’s no question that if we’re going to recruit the physicians and other health care professionals that we need in B.C., we will need to address the challenges facing those trained outside of Canada. We need to be encouraging more physicians to move to B.C., not discouraging them.
In our platform, we’ve committed to improving the province’s credential recognition process and licensing so that people trained in other countries can provide their skills and knowledge here in BC. Specific steps will be developed in consultation with regulatory bodies, health-related Colleges, and other stakeholders.
We’ve also committed to health care that respects and reflects our diverse province. On the heels of our government’s investigation into racism in the health care system, we are reaching out to health employers and unions to prioritize the hiring of a health care workforce that better represents the communities it serves.
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Norine Shim
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BC Greens
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Burnaby North
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Yes
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I will support legislation to ensure a level playing field for all.
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Erik Minty
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BC Greens
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Port Coquitlam
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Yes
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First step is to work with the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons, to create a pathway for foreign-trained physicians to practice in BC. Most prejudice is rooted in ignorance – people fear what they don’t understand. We also need to have a conversation to better understand the root causes of prejudice as it applies to physicians.
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