Canadians know we are facing a health workforce crisis, from the estimated 6.5 million who do not have a primary care provider, to those waiting months for medical imaging and hours in emergency rooms. While the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency over in May 2023, Canada’s health workforce crisis has no end in sight.
As researchers with the Canadian Health Workforce Network, we see the roots of this crisis in poor workforce planning and the inadequate integration of immigrant health workers. The consequences of poor planning are evident, as are the ethical ramifications of solving our problems through global recruitment.
