Ep. 47 - Canada's Brain Waste Problem: How Canada has Overlooked Immigrant Doctors

Pod Bless Canada

In this latest of episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Communciation Officer Ai-Men Lau was joined by Robert Falconer, a reserach associate at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary. Falconer is a leading expert on refugee, immigration, and border policy with a specific focus on the inclusion of immigrants in the economy, healthcare system, and social life in Canada. Lau and Falconer discuss the burdensome and challenging process immigrant doctors face in becoming accredited to practice medicine in Canada. As Canada fights the COVID-19 pandemic, many immigrant doctors are unable to join on the frontlines as they face a lengthy and expensive regulatory process. Lau and Falconer also discuss other professions that face similar challenges, why Canada has this accreditation process in place, and how this red tape status quo impacts Canadian healthcare.