QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Health
Labour Shortage
March 25, 2026
Minister, the problem runs very deep. We’re in a situation where almost seven million Canadians can’t find a doctor. The situation back home in Quebec is bleak.
One study came right out and said that Canadians are paying more for a service whose quality is diminishing year after year. Your government, the Liberal government, has been in power for 10 years, ever since the entire system started breaking down. We need concrete action, fast. What action is going to be taken and when will it happen?
At our first meeting, after I was appointed to this department, the first thing that the provinces and territories asked me to do was to help them recruit more health care professionals, including doctors and nurses, from other countries. As you’ve already seen, we’ve set up a fast-track program with 5,000 spaces reserved for the provinces to bring in health care professionals from other countries, because our main problem is a labour shortage.
As I’m sure you know, Senator Housakos, a number of factors account for the state of the health care system. We do have a labour shortage, but diseases and their treatments have also become more complex. We have to look at the big picture.
I wanted to tell you that the first request I received from the provinces and territories when I met with them was to help them bring in professionals from outside the country and to get them on the job more quickly. That’s what we’re doing. Right now, I can tell you that —
Thank you, minister.
