The Government of Canada is investing up to $14.3 million to help address labour shortages in the health sector

TORONTO, March 4, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada is home to some of the best doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals in the world. However, the health sector is a demanding field with challenging working conditions. These workforce challenges are not only affecting the hard-working healthcare workers we rely on but also patients, who are experiencing long wait times for surgeries, emergency room closures, and difficulties accessing family healthcare services.

That is why, the Government of Canada is today taking immediate action to address labour shortages in the health sector to remove some pressure on our healthcare workers, and provide Canadians with the care they need.

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Steven MacKinnon, has announced up to $14.3 million in funding across four organizations through the Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP). This funding will help more internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs) enter the workforce, reduce critical labour strains in our health sector and ensure our hospital and medical centres are staffed with the talent they need to deliver the quality healthcare Canadians deserve – and expect. It will also directly support more than 3,500 participants through work placements, wage subsidies, mentoring, training and coaching initiatives.

Today's announcement aligns with commitments made in Budget 2024, which provided an additional $50 million over two years for the FCRP, with a focus on the residential construction and health care sectors.

The Government of Canada is working to meet the growing demands of these sectors while helping skilled newcomers pursue work in their area of expertise.

Quotes 

"Internationally educated professionals possess the talent and experience our healthcare sector needs. By investing in the Foreign Credential Recognition Program, we're adding capable doctors, nurses and health practitioners to medical rooms across the country, growing our workforce and delivering better health outcomes for Canadians across the board."

– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Steven MacKinnon

"Canada needs more healthcare workers into our system, faster. This federal funding will help grow capacity in our healthcare system and give relief to workers already providing care to Canadians. That means a stronger workforce, shorter wait times and better healthcare."

– Minister of Health, Mark Holland

"This investment represents a significant step forward in the integration of internationally trained women in the health sector. Through the CarriElles Santé project, the Société économique de l'Ontario (SEO) is providing these women with tailored support to enhance their skills and access qualified employment, while addressing the pressing labour shortages in the healthcare sector. SEO is proud to play a key role in this opportunity-driven initiative and contribute to building a more inclusive and resilient healthcare system." – Cathy Modesto, President of the Société économique de l'Ontario.

Quick Facts

• The FCRP supports the labour market integration of internationally trained professionals by providing funding to provinces and territories, regulatory authorities and other organizations to improve foreign credential recognition (FCR) processes to make them faster and more efficient, provide loans and support services to help skilled newcomers through the FCR process; and provide employment supports to help internationally trained professionals gain Canadian work experience in their field of study.
  
  
• Canada's healthcare sector had 78,600 unfilled positions in the third quarter of 2024. This was the second consecutive quarterly decline after six consecutive quarters of little change since the peak in the third quarter of 2022, when job vacancies in health occupations reached 97,400. This gap underscores the urgent need to continue to attract and integrate qualified professionals to maintain the quality and accessibility of healthcare services across the country.
  
  
• Budget 2024 provided $50 million over two years to the FCRP, with a focus on the residential construction and health care sectors. This builds on Budget 2022 investments of $115 million over five years starting in 2022–2023 and $30 million ongoing for the Program, starting with a focus on supporting the labour market integration of internationally educated health professionals.
  
  
• With 395,000 permanent residents expected to be welcomed to Canada in 2025, it is essential to continue to support the full participation of internationally trained professionals in the Canadian workforce. The FCRP investments will support the labour market integration of over 3,500 IEHPs.
  
  
• At the January 2025 federal, provincial and territorial Health Ministers' Meeting, Ministers reiterated their commitment to address the challenges facing Canada's health workforce.
  
  
  • Health Ministers approved and published Caring for Canadians: Canada's Future Health Workforce, a pan-Canadian study of Canada's capacity to educate and train key health professions domestically.
    
    
  • Health Ministers agreed to publish an Ethical Framework for the Recruitment and Retention of Internationally Educated Health Professionals in Canada, as guidance for the recruitment and retention of international health personnel into the Canadian health system.

Related Links

Backgrounder: Foreign Credentials Recognition Program

Associated Links

Government helping 6600 internationally educated healthcare professionals work in Canada

Funding: Foreign Credential Recognition Program Foreign Credential Recognition Program

Federal, provincial and territorial statement on supporting Canada's health workforce

Health workforce

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For media enquiries, please contact: Matthieu Perrotin, Senior Communications Advisor & Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Steven MacKinnon, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]