Human Resources committee  Thank you. It would be encouraging to see the certifying bodies working together, with some federal resources to ramp up our assessment capabilities and technology. We know that simulation is huge, and to really capitalize on the potential of simulation, to give our foreign-tra

Human Resources committee  Again, I wouldn't say that we have a shortage of physicians. We have shortages in different locales, so it is a distribution issue. If we could match qualified workers with available positions, I think we would be ahead of the curve ball. This is also predicated on having a longe

Human Resources committee  Documentation is a huge barrier—to have your qualifications recognized. It comes in variable forms, in different languages, and it's not consistent from one jurisdiction to the other. You're trying to estimate the baseline qualifications of an individual. They could have 15 years

Human Resources committee  It's a stage process. If the Medical Council of Canada qualifying examination was offered offshore in a number of languages, you could establish certain baselines. You could adjust the expectations of the physicians wishing to immigrate, so they'd know if they were close to being

Human Resources committee  Thank you. I think a strategic investment in our aboriginal health workforce would help us go a long way. The cultural sensitization is a very, very large job, but to empower aboriginal peoples to care for themselves in their own settings I think is the winning solution for us.

Human Resources committee  Financial incentives are only part of the solution, because we have to have a broader infrastructure within which you could work. The electronic health record is one of those pillars that we often look at, so just throwing more money at it isn't necessarily the solution. I know i

Human Resources committee  Investing in infrastructure is definitely a very important solution, and you'll often find that if the physical resources are there, the people will follow.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely. Respecting provincial and territorial responsibility for its own workforce planning, the observatory could be a hub of research, where we could go to deposit our research, for example. It could also be the place where the various provinces, such as the advisory commi

Human Resources committee  One of the studies we're running right now is quite interesting. We're looking at the employability of physicians. It came to light that a number of doctors were either unemployed or underemployed. Looking at the new skill mix and the upscaling of different health professions, it

Human Resources committee  Absolutely. You can't have an open-heart surgery without a properly staffed intensive care unit and cardiac nurses at the ready. So it's an interwoven piece. When we're doing our workforce studies, we try to get an understanding of those various bits. But we're all trying to do

Human Resources committee  There is currently some flexibility when it comes to that. If a dentist or a physician has full licensure, they can go anywhere in the country, and that is a good thing. However, that does not necessarily solve the distribution problem. If someone wants to practise in the suburbs

Human Resources committee  That's the key aspect.

Human Resources committee  The notion of full-time equivalence does not match up with the number of people. According to CIHI data, there are over 67,000 physicians in Canada, but they don't all work at the same level of intensity. We should not compare ourselves to the OECD countries. We compare ourselves

Human Resources committee  Exactly. It is really a generation-based notion. Everyone wants to strike a better balance and be a better parent.

Human Resources committee  Thank you. I keep coming back to the same solution. It's a matter of gaining a better understanding of what the Canada-wide needs are. We need to stop operating in our provincial and territorial bubbles.