Health Committee on Nov. 18th, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Witnesses can answer how they choose. Thank you.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Minister Diab, how many Canadians don't have access to a family doctor in Canada right now?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I'm going to turn that over to the health care, but again, that's a provincial.... I come from Nova Scotia. These are tracked. I used to be a provincial member of the legislature and a provincial minister. Those numbers are tracked provincially and territorially. I believe the committee knows that and I think most Canadians do.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

You don't know, though.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I'm a federal minister. I can go on the websites to check for you, if you'd like.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Minister Michel, how many Canadians don't have access to a family doctor right now? Just give a number, please.

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

It's around six million people. It's 5.7 million, exactly.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Minister Diab, your government plans to admit over 450,000 permanent residents into Canada this year.

Can you confirm that every newcomer admitted under the immigration plan will have access to a family doctor upon arrival, yes or no?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

The number is not accurate. Our 2025 permanent residence number is 325,000.

Do you mind asking your question again?

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Can you confirm that every newcomer admitted under your immigration plan will have access to a family doctor upon arrival, yes or no?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Many who are arriving are doctors, physicians, clinicians, nurses and health care providers themselves, who are actually here to service Canadians.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Minister Diab, are you aware that Canada's population is growing faster than the supply of family doctors, yes or no?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

We have 41 million-plus in population. I'm pretty sure we don't have 41 million doctors.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

It's the supply of family doctors. In other words, you are immigrating more people than there are family doctors able to serve Canadians.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

We can ask the analysts about the stats on that.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

When the population grows faster than the number of family doctors, access to care gets worse. Can you agree on that?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I think it depends on people's age, health and so on. I've been to many countries around the globe where it's not a question of a doctor to a—

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Are you telling me you can't agree with that?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

There are a lot of collaborative care centres as well.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Thank you, Minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'd like the members of the committee to please remember that when you ask a question, you should allow for the answer.

Thank you.

I'll go to Mr. Eyolfson from the Liberals for six minutes.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Thank you, Chair.

Ministers, welcome.

I'd like to get some clarification on whether this is coming from Minister Diab or Minister Michel.

There is a visa training program where medical students from other countries are entering residency positions. They are funded completely by their home countries; many of them are from Saudi Arabia. They bring their own funding and, in fact, their sponsors will also pay a stipend that will help fund the medical school.

There have been claims that these trainees are taking residency spots away from residents who would stay in Canada and practise. Is this true?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I'm familiar with that program. A number of years ago, I was in a hospital with a family member, and I saw a lot of them talking; I actually saw some of the individuals that you may be referring to. These people are here in Canada doing tremendous service for Canadians.

Let me tell you specifically what I found out coming to this position but what I also knew but didn't really know about the technicalities as a Canadian.

These visa trainees are physicians who are sponsored by their own home countries to come to Canada to train under a postgraduate training agreement with the Canadian medical schools. In fact, we have one in Nova Scotia. Dalhousie has a great medical school, and we have them.

These visa training physician positions are funded by the foreign governments; that's number one. Those governments cover their costs related to their salary, any benefits and any other expenses. They are neither paid for nor are they supported financially with any Canadian-sourced funds.

What I will also say, because I wondered this at the time as well when I saw what they were doing, is the ones I'm referring to were in the cardiac unit. They do not compete for residency positions reserved for Canadians and permanent residents because these spots are not in competition and they are not under the matching system for the Canadian medical graduates.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Thank you.

Regarding the temporary foreign worker program, we have heard a lot of conflicting views on this. There are some who say we have too many. We've heard on the other side that there are a lot of temporary foreign workers in a lot of industries, but particularly in health care.

Minister Michel, there have been calls from some to actually scrap the temporary foreign worker program. What would be the effect on health care and the supply of health care workers if that were done?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Well, honestly, I think a question about temporary foreign workers would be better put to Minister Diab.