Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to share my time with Dr. Powlowski.
Thank you to all the witnesses for your valuable information.
My question is mainly for the OMA. We heard at previous meetings that the one issue contributing to the worker shortage was the provincial regulatory bodies. They make it difficult to move between provinces and to admit foreign-trained professionals, especially IMGs.
We heard from Dr. Murphy about the nurse shortage of 60,000 by 2022. We have our lab technicians. There are only five medical laboratory education programs in Ontario, and they all have waiting lists. We also have a shortage of PSWs.
Dr. Kassam, you said that in creating residency support and recruitment, we need a multilateral approach. What do you think are the best strategies and best practices, so that we can create more residency places for our IMGs? I know some of the Canadian students, the IMGs, even did Kingston General Hospital electives, but they're waiting for residency spots.
What can we do to fill those gaps?