Bring Canadian Physicians in the U.S. Back Home!

April 1, 2023

The Honourable Sylvia Jones
Deputy Premier and Minister of Health of Ontario

E-Mail: sylvia.jones@ontario.ca

Dear Ms. Jones:
More than 2.2 million Ontarians are without a Family Physician and deferred medical care is putting Ontarians at serious risk (Ref: Ontario College of Family Physicians, Feb 2023; Waiting list deaths reach 4 year high, Secondstreet,org, Dec 2022 https://secondstreet.org/2022/12/13/waiting-list-deaths-surge-in-2021-22/#:~:text=At%20least%2013%2C581%20patients%20died,last%20year’s%20total%20of%2011%2C581).

On March 9, 2023, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) released proposed changes to registration and licensing policies that seek to expand access and reduce barriers for U.S. board-certified physicians and U.S. physicians deemed eligible to sit U.S. Specialty Board examination to practise independently in Ontario. https://dialogue.cpso.on.ca/2023/03/proposals-reduce-barriers-for-u-s-trained-physicians/

I would like to indicate my support for these proposed changes, as well as the support of an additional 61 signatories to a petition supporting these changes : https://www.change.org/p/bring-canadian-physicians-in-the-u-s-back-home

If implemented, this proposal could substantially increase the number of physicians in Ontario. Physicians recruited to Canada from the United States would primarily be Canadians who studied medicine abroad (CSAs) and then completed training in the United States. We urge you and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to approve this proposal to bring Canadian physicians back home so that they can serve Ontarians in need of health care.

Sincerely,

Carole Lafrenière
Director
Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad
Ottawa, Ontario

Cc. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario feedback@cpso.on.ca