(Montreal) Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre wants to create a national exam standard for health workers so those who have completed their education abroad can work in Canada.
Posted 1:38pm Updated 4:05pm
Clara Descurninges The Canadian Press
He announced this at a press conference in Ottawa on Sunday.
This so-called “Blue Seal” standard was inspired by the Red Seal test introduced in 1952. This allows workers in regulated professions – electricians, plumbers, mechanics, etc. – to see that their skills are recognized across the country.
Statistics Canada, in a 2022 report, estimated that only 36.5% of immigrants with a foreign nursing degree and 41.1% with a medical degree are in the profession.
“We should determine the qualifications of our doctors through examinations […] not through big bureaucratic processes,” Poilievre stressed, arguing that some immigrants could wait up to nine years before being able to work in their field.
According to him, it would also harmonize standards between provinces and territories, allowing a doctor or nurse to practice from coast to coast.
“These are immigrants who are already here, they are young Canadians who went abroad for education,” or doctors who just moved from one province to another, he said.
With health being a provincial jurisdiction, the Conservative leader pledged that the introduction of the Blue Seal would be voluntary.
A Poilievre government will seek an agreement with the provinces where a foreign-trained professional can receive a response within 60 days [après avoir rempli l’examen].
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservatives
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Canada had about 2.8 doctors per 1000 people in 2021. This ratio ranks Canada 27th among OECD countries.
Health Index estimates that Quebec’s emergency departments were 95% full as of 4 p.m. Sunday, with an average wait time of 4 hours and 51 minutes in the room.
Mr Poilievre blames Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the current situation. “After eight years of Justin Trudeau, our healthcare system is broken,” he said.
He cited surveys by the Fraser Institute, which estimated in 2015 that the median wait time between a referral from a family doctor and an appointment with a specialist was 18 weeks. By 2022, that number had increased to 27 weeks.
However, it should be noted that the global COVID-19 pandemic that swept Canada as of 2020 undermined the healthcare network and caused an influx of patients into hospitals.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos’ office did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Canadian Press.