Strengthening Canada’s Physician Workforce Through Targeted Loan Forgiveness and Student Financial Support

BY

ON

April 10, 2026

POSTED IN Lobbying

I urge Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad to write to the Honourable Patty Hadju, Minister of Job and Families, with the objective of reinforcing this initiative of loan forgiveness and student financial support for Canadians who go and study medicine abroad.
Your e-mail or letter should be addressed to:
The Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P. Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario  EDSC.MIN.EF-JF.MIN.ESDC@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
and the following two Ministers should be copied :
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, P.C., M.P. Minister of Finance and National Revenue DCU / UCM (FIN)” <dcu-ucm@fin.gc.ca>
The Honourable Marjorie Michel, P.C., M.P. Minister of Health Minister of Health <hcminister.ministresc@hc-sc.gc.ca>
See initial letter below (see first post down, and then scroll up), followed by the response that we have recently received from the Honourable Patty Hadju and finally, our response back to Minister Hadju.
Rosemary Pawliuk, Executive Director
The Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad
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From: Society Medicine <socasma@outlook.com>
Date: 2026-08-11 1:11 a.m. (GMT-05:00)
To: “MIN.Emplois et familles / Jobs and Families.MIN (EDSC / ESDC)” <EDSC.MIN.EF-JF.MIN.ESDC@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca>
Cc: “DCU / UCM (FIN)” <dcu-ucm@fin.gc.ca>, Minister of Health <hcminister.ministresc@hc-sc.gc.ca>
Subject: Re: Letter from the Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Dear Minister Hajdu,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply to my letter regarding Canada Student Loan Forgiveness and financial support for Canadians studying medicine abroad. I appreciate the time taken to consider SOCASMA’s recommendations and was encouraged to read that the Government recognizes the important role specialist physicians play in rural and remote communities and will carefully consider expanding Canada Student Loan Forgiveness eligibility to include specialists.
As physician shortages continue to affect not only family medicine but also pediatrics, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, and many other specialties, I hope these workforce needs will continue to be reflected as the Government reviews the program. We would be pleased to provide additional information or connect your office with physicians who have first-hand experience of these shortages across Canada.
I also wished to respectfully follow up on a second recommendation contained in my original letter that was not addressed in your response: modernizing the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program for Canadians studying medicine abroad.
Canada has acknowledged through numerous workforce studies that it is not currently training enough physicians to meet projected health care needs. As a result, Canada depends heavily on internationally trained physicians, including thousands of Canadian citizens who obtained their medical education abroad and later return to practise here.
Despite this reliance, Canada Student Loans provide only modest assistance toward the cost of an international medical education, even though tuition at many accredited foreign medical schools exceeds USD $60,000 per year before living expenses. By comparison, other countries—including the United States—provide substantially greater access to government-backed student financing for medical education.
Increasing Canada Student Loan limits for Canadians studying medicine abroad would not simply benefit individual students. Rather, it would represent an investment in Canada’s future physician workforce and the health and wellbeing of all Canadians. While enhanced financial support alone cannot guarantee that Canadians studying medicine abroad will ultimately return to practise in Canada—particularly while residency opportunities for internationally trained physicians remain limited through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS)—it would remove a significant financial barrier, enabling more Canadians to train abroad in the absence of adequate numbers of domestic medical school spaces. The Government’s interest in achieving a meaningful return on this investment could be advanced through voluntary loan forgiveness incentives that encourage physicians to establish practice in Canada, particularly in underserved communities and high-demand specialties.
As Canada develops long-term strategies to address physician shortages, we respectfully ask that the Government also consider whether the current level of Canada Student Loan support for Canadians studying medicine abroad remains adequate in light of today’s educational costs and Canada’s increasing dependence on internationally educated physicians.
Thank you again for your thoughtful response and for your willingness to consider expanding Canada Student Loan Forgiveness for specialist physicians. We look forward to continuing a constructive dialogue on both of these important issues and would welcome the opportunity to provide additional information that may assist your review.
Yours sincerely,
Rosemary Pawliuk
President
SOCASMA—Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad
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Attached is the response that we have received on June 17, 2026 from The Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P. Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
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From: Society Medicine <socasma@outlook.com>
Sent: April 10, 2026 7:55 AM
To: patty.hajdu@parl.gc.ca <patty.hajdu@parl.gc.ca>
Cc: marjorie.michel@parl.gc.ca <marjorie.michel@parl.gc.ca>; hcminister.ministresc@hc-sc.gc.ca <hcminister.ministresc@hc-sc.gc.ca>; francois-philippe.champagne@parl.gc <francois-philippe.champagne@parl.gc>
Subject: Strengthening Canada’s Physician Workforce Through Targeted Loan Forgiveness and Student Financial Support
Dear Minister Hajdu,
I am writing on behalf of the Society for Canadians Studying Medicine Abroad (SOCASMA), a national organization that advocates for the removal of barriers that prevent Canadians who studied medicine abroad from returning home to practice. Our members are Canadian citizens and permanent residents who remain committed to serving patients in Canada but face structural, financial, and policy obstacles that make returning increasingly difficult.
I am writing to advocate for targeted enhancements to the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness program and the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program to better address Canada’s growing physician workforce shortages. As you know, the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program plays an important role in shaping the health workforce by incentivizing service in areas of need. Recent expansions to include a broad range of professions—including dentists, dental hygienists, early childhood educators, midwives, personal support workers, pharmacists, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers, and teachers—reflect a welcome recognition of workforce gaps across sectors.
However, I respectfully submit that the program should be further expanded to include specialist physicians in high‑demand fields, such as pediatrics, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and internal medicine, in addition to family medicine.
Physician shortages extend well beyond family medicine
While the shortage of family physicians is widely recognized, reputable national data demonstrate that Canada is also facing critical shortfalls in pediatrics, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and internal medicine, among other specialties. These shortages are contributing to emergency department overcrowding, surgical backlogs, delayed access to specialist care, and poorer health outcomes for Canadians.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reports that several hospital‑based specialties—particularly emergency medicine—have seen little growth relative to population needs, while system pressures continue to rise.¹ In parallel, independent workforce analyses identify anesthesiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, and emergency medicine as among the most in‑demand medical specialties nationwide.²
Leading national organizations have repeatedly warned that shortages across these specialties are particularly acute outside major urban centres, exacerbating inequities in access to care.
Given this reality, it would be prudent to explicitly include physicians practicing in these high‑need specialties within federal loan forgiveness and retention programs.
Incentivizing Canadians trained abroad to return home
Canada is home to many citizens who, despite strong academic qualifications chose to pursue medical education abroad. Due to systemic barriers to obtaining Canadian residencies through the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS), many of these physicians go on to establish careers in other jurisdictions, particularly the United States, where financial incentives, training pathways, and loan structures are more competitive.
Canada already relies heavily on international medical graduates (IMGs)—who now comprise approximately 27% of the physician workforce—because domestic medical education capacity is insufficient to meet current and projected needs.³ Leading medical organizations and peer‑reviewed research emphasize that Canada cannot meet physician demand through domestic training alone and must better attract and retain internationally trained physicians.⁴
Targeted loan forgiveness—covering Canadian undergraduate education as well as medical school completed abroad—would represent a powerful, cost‑effective incentive for these physicians to return to Canada and commit to practice in areas of need.
Parity with other recently added professions
Recent expansions of loan forgiveness eligibility to include professions such as dentists, dental hygienists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers, teachers, early childhood educators, midwives, and personal support workers reflect a commendable recognition of workforce shortages across the health and social sectors.
However, given the length, cost, and intensity of medical training, and the central role physicians play in maintaining access to essential health services, extending comparable—or greater—support to physicians in shortage specialties is both logical and equitable. Expanding eligibility to include specialist physicians in shortage areas would be consistent with—and arguably more urgent than—the recent inclusion of other professions. The return on investment, in terms of patient access, system sustainability, and reduced downstream costs, is substantial.
Canada is not training enough doctors
Multiple authoritative reports confirm that Canada is not educating enough physicians to meet future demand. The Royal Bank of Canada estimates that Canada could face a shortage of approximately 44,000 physicians by 2028, even after accounting for current training levels.⁵ Similarly, the Canadian Medical Association and Health Canada have concluded that domestic training capacity alone will not close the gap.⁶
The need to modernize Canada Student Loans for CSAs
Despite this reliance on internationally trained physicians, financial support for Canadians studying medicine abroad remains inadequate. Tuition at many accredited foreign medical schools commonly exceeds USD $60,000 per year, excluding living expenses. Yet Canada Student Loans often provide approximately $10,000 CAD annually, an amount that is insufficient and uncompetitive.
In contrast, U.S. federal loan programs frequently provide access to financing in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for medical training, including for students attending international schools. As a result, Canadian students abroad often accumulate substantial debt without meaningful Canadian financial support.
In an increasingly competitive global environment—where physician shortages are widespread and countries actively recruit internationally trained doctors—Canada must position itself strategically to attract and retain talent. Increasing CSL limits for CSAs—particularly when paired with return‑of‑service or loan forgiveness commitments—would be a practical and fiscally responsible policy choice aligned with this goal.
Conclusion
Expanding loan forgiveness to include physicians in high‑need specialties, enhancing incentives for Canadians trained abroad to return, and modernizing student loan support for medical education are practical steps that align with Canada’s long‑term health workforce needs.
I respectfully urge the Government of Canada to consider these measures as part of a comprehensive strategy to strengthen physician supply, improve patient access, and ensure the sustainability of our publicly funded health care system. I would welcome the opportunity to provide further input or discuss these proposals in more detail.
Thank you for your attention to this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Rosemary Pawliuk
President, SOCASMA
References
  1. Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Physicians in Canada.
    https://www.cihi.ca/en/physicians
  2. Canadian Medical Association. Physician workforce shortages and specialty demand in Canada.
  3. Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Internationally Educated Health Professionals in Canada.
    https://www.cihi.ca/en/internationally-educated-health-professionals
  4. Health Canada. Canada’s Health Workforce: Education, Training, and Distribution.
    https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/health-human-resources.html
  5. Royal Bank of Canada Economics. Proof Point: Canada Needs More Doctors—and Fast.
    https://www.rbc.com/en/economics/canadian-analysis/featured-analysis/insights/proof-point-canada-needs-more-doctors-and-fast/
  6. Canadian Medical Association. Canada Can’t Train Enough Doctors and Other Health Professionals.

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