Health Committee on Nov. 20th, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Good morning, everyone.

I call this meeting to order. Welcome to meeting number 13 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health.

We meet on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. Today's meeting is in person.

I want to remind participants of the following points. I know you know what they are, but I have to tell you anyway, for the record. Don't forget that you have this little round decal in front of you where you should put your phones or any other electronic equipment so that they don't interfere with the transmission. It can cause problems with the interpreters.

Always turn off your microphone when you are not speaking, and turn it on when you are. Please wait until I recognize you before speaking. Everything you say should go through the chair and not directly to each other. Again, if you wish to speak, raise your hand. We will make the list as we see the hands around the room.

Again, thank you for coming this morning. We have our list of witnesses. They are officials from Health Canada and IRCC. From the Department of Health, we have Jocelyne Voisin, senior assistant deputy minister, health policy branch; and Michelle Owen, executive director, health human resources task force. From the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, we have Louise Baird, assistant deputy minister, strategic policy; and Soyoung Park, assistant deputy minister, economic programs.

We are doing a study pursuant to the motion adopted on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, to study the impact of immigration policy on health care and barriers to integrating internationally trained professionals.

I will begin by saying to the witnesses that each of your groups will have five minutes. I'll give you a shout-out at one minute and again at 30 seconds so that you can wrap up. If you can't finish everything you want to say, obviously you have the opportunity during the question and answer period to say what you have to say.

I will start with Jocelyne Voisin from IRCC.

You have five minutes, please, Ms. Voisin.

[Jocelyne Voisin, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health]

I'm from Health Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'm sorry.

You're sitting in the wrong places.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You sat the other way last time.

Thank you. Go ahead.

[Jocelyne Voisin]

Thank you, Madam Chair and honourable members of the committee. We appreciate the opportunity to appear before you as part of your study on the impact of immigration policy on health care and barriers to integrating internationally educated health professionals into the health care system.

Canada's health care sector is facing critical shortages of health professionals, including doctors, nurses and other health workers. These shortages are having an impact on access to care for many Canadians.

Immigration is a vital part of addressing Canada's health workforce shortages. Internationally educated health professionals bring valuable skills and experience to the Canadian health care system. However, as the committee has heard, internationally educated health professionals face a number of barriers to entering Canada's health workforce. For example, foreign credential recognition processes, which are managed under provincial and territorial jurisdiction, can be complex, burdensome and costly. Even after becoming licensed, internationally educated health professionals face challenges integrating into the workforce. Many experience burnout or low employment retention due to negative work environments, discrimination and a lack of social and professional supports.

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting health care workers in Canada and ensuring that health care workers are supported from coast to coast to coast.

The federal government has made a series of historic investments to strengthen public health care and ease the pressure on provincial and territorial health care systems.

As you've already heard, budget 2025 will invest $97 million over five years to create a foreign credential recognition action fund. The government will work with provinces and territories to make credential recognition fairer, faster and more transparent, helping qualified foreign-trained professionals contribute more quickly to Canada's workforce, including in fields facing labour shortages such as health care and construction.

This investment is in addition to the budget 2024 commitment of up to $77 million over four years to help internationally educated health professionals join the workforce more quickly. This includes funding to create new training positions for international medical graduates, expanded assessment capacity and navigation supports to make credential recognition more efficient.

Health Canada is funding the national registry of physicians, Canada's first integrated source of physician licensure data, and Nursys in Canada, a national platform for nursing licensure data to facilitate information exchange between regulators to improve labour mobility, making it easier for doctors and nurses to move practices across the country.

Finally, Health Canada also funds Health Workforce Canada, an independent organization that is working to improve access to health workforce data and planning capacity across the country. This will help ensure that health workforce planners and decision-makers are better equipped to ensure that we have the right mix of health professionals, including internationally educated health professionals, in the right places to deliver timely, high-quality care.

Health Canada, in collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, is working with provincial and territorial governments to streamline immigration processes for health professionals, remove barriers to the recognition of foreign credentials, and support initiatives that promote the integration and long-term retention of international health professionals in the health sector.

Provinces and territories are working to develop innovative models for the recognition process of foreign credentials in their respective jurisdictions.

For example, as you will hear later today, Nova Scotia developed the Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence, which provides licensure assessment for internationally trained physicians while also providing primary care to the community. British Columbia has developed the Inspire Global Assessments program, which determines competency for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and health care assistants all at once.

Health Canada will continue to collaborate with provinces, territories, regulatory bodies and other partners in the health care system to support these efforts.

I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to testify today. I will be happy to answer any questions members may have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much. You had one minute left. That's good.

[Jocelyne Voisin]

I'm good. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Now we will turn to Louise Baird, deputy minister, IRCC. Thank you.

Soyoung Park, you're going to be the speaker. Okay. Thank you.

[Soyoung Park, Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic Programs , Department of Citizenship and Immigration]

Yes, I'm Soyoung Park from IRCC.

Thank you, Chair and members of the committee.

At IRCC, our role is to ensure sustainable admissions of temporary and permanent residents and to support the integration of internationally educated professionals to fuel economic growth. Canada's latest immigration levels plan advances this work by aligning future immigration with priority labour needs, including in health care.

Immigration operates in parallel with provincial and territorial health care systems. Planning, licensing and delivery of health services are their responsibilities.

During our consultations on the 2025-27 immigration levels plan and our ongoing dialogue with the health sector, we were consistently told that Canada needs more health professionals.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is responding to this demand in three ways. First, we have implemented temporary worker programs that respond to the immediate needs of the labour market. Second, we have launched permanent residence programs that support the health sector. Third, we offer settlement services that promote the recognition of credentials and integration.

One, temporary foreign worker programs allow employers to fill gaps in hospitals and long-term and community care settings. As of September 30, 2025, over 16,000 temporary workers had permits to work in a range of health care occupations.

These programs also offer flexibility with regard to regulated professions. They allow candidates who are on track to obtain a licence to work in the sector while continuing the process of having their credentials recognized.

A recent study by Statistics Canada found that temporary worker programs played an important role in filling labour gaps to reduce the burden on overworked domestic health care workers. In addition, one year after transitioning to permanent residence, nearly two-thirds of temporary foreign workers remain working in the health care sector.

Two, on permanent residents, more than 11,000 health care workers arrived in 2024 and another 8,000 so far this year. There have been criticisms that we are admitting foreign doctors who are underemployed. We know that not all internationally trained medical professionals, regardless of whether they are Canadian citizens or obtained permanent residence through IRCC programs, are able to work in their field right away. In all cases, licensing requirements from regulators must be met.

However, limiting the permanent residence options for these individuals would only reduce the pool of qualified candidates who could obtain a licence later and contribute to the Canadian health care system.

At the federal level, we select candidates based on skilled work experience, education, language ability or high human capital. Economic immigrants consistently demonstrate strong labour market outcomes, including high employment rates and earnings. Health care workers are not the exception.

Number three is IRCC settlement services. Credential recognition remains the major factor in how quickly internationally educated health professionals can work as health professionals in Canada. While licensing is carried out by provincial and territorial regulators, IRCC works closely with Employment and Social Development Canada and Health Canada to support labour market integration.

IRCC-funded settlement services help newcomers prepare for their credential pathway and understand labour market expectations. Pre-arrival services such as PASS for nurses offer counselling, connections to regulators and mentors and guidance on the steps required to practice in Canada.

Our approach to immigration is designed to meet economic needs while respecting the capacity of communities. Health professionals who come to Canada play a vital role in strengthening health systems nationwide.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

You have 30 seconds.

Are you finished? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stop you.

[Soyoung Park]

My last point was to thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much, Ms. Park.

I now go to the question and answer segment. The first segment is a six-minute segment. I repeat that the six minutes are for questions and for answers, so I would like everybody to be as succinct as they can be so that we can give everyone an opportunity to ask questions.

We begin with the Conservatives for six minutes.

Mr. Bailey, go ahead.

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

I would like to continue on a little bit with what we discussed on Tuesday with the immigration minister.

Ms. Baird, on the Health Canada interim federal health program website, it outlines who's eligible for coverage under this program. Eligible groups include asylum claimants and detainees who have illegally crossed the border into Canada. On Tuesday, the immigration minister said falsely that once the process is concluded, the coverage ends.

I'd like to confirm for the record that the website also includes asylum claimants who are waiting for decisions as to whether the claim is eligible and asylum claimants whose claim for refugee protection has been rejected by the IRB.

My first question is this: How many asylum claims were rejected in 2024?

[Soyoung Park]

I'll take that question on behalf of IRCC.

The decisions on the asylum claims that are rejected or refused are made by an independent tribunal, as the minister stated, which is the IRB. In fact, the number rejected in 2024 was around 16% to 17%.

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Okay. I have a number of 11,761.

[Soyoung Park]

That's right.

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Okay. There is a number.

What about 2025? Do you know the number of rejected claims?

[Soyoung Park]

As of June 30, 2025, the IRB had rejected 6,947, so it's about 17%.

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Of these rejected claims, how many have received health care coverage under the IFHP?

[Soyoung Park]

As the minister explained, failed claimants also have a right to appeal their decisions, so during the time that they are in Canada, before or if they are removed and they failed in their claim for appeal, they would still be eligible for the interim federal health program.

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Okay. We don't have a number.

Does the immigration department or the health department track the number of bogus claimants who are receiving health care?

[Soyoung Park]

We just went through the numbers of rejected claims.

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Why does the immigration department not track the number of bogus asylum claimants who are receiving health care funded by Canadian tax dollars?

[Soyoung Park]

I think we just went through the numbers. I have already explained that the actual body that makes the decision on whether or not someone is a failed claimant is in fact the Immigration and Refugee Board.