Canada should seize the opportunity to turn the U.S. brain drain of doctors and scientists into its own “brain gain,” the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) says.
In a statement posted Thursday, CMA president Dr. Joss Reimer said that many American medical professionals, feeling undervalued due to mass layoffs and cuts to health programs and research positions under the Trump administration, may be seeking new opportunities.
And Canadian politicians should take notice, she said.
“While this period brings with it many challenges for Canada, it also offers unique opportunities,” Joss stated.
As political tensions and health-care layoffs roil the U.S., a surge of American doctors appears to be thinking of setting up shop in Canada.
The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) previously Global News that the number of U.S. medical graduates opening accounts on physiciansapply.ca — a key step toward obtaining a medical licence in Canada — has risen 583 per cent between October 2024 and March 2025, compared to the same period last year.
The CMA said provinces like British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan have also taken steps to reduce barriers and ramp up recruitment.
Health authorities such as Toronto’s University Health Network, medical associations like Doctors Manitoba and municipalities like Williams Lake, B.C. have also launched creative recruitment efforts.
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While this is a positive step, the CMA warned that recruiting physicians and other health workers cannot be left to patchwork efforts; it must be a “national priority.”
“The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is urging the federal government to streamline processes to help health professionals enter Canada’s health workforce more efficiently,” Joss stated.
This means updating immigration policies to help hospitals, health authorities and provinces that are already recruiting health workers, she said.
The government should also use ministerial exemptions to create a faster, easier path for qualified U.S. doctors and other health-care professionals to join Canada’s workforce, the CMA said.
“We are also calling on each of the federal party leaders to commit to these actions to improve access to care,” Joss said. “Canada has a unique opportunity in this moment to take advantage of this brain gain to become a scientific and medical powerhouse.”
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