Canada health care needs more international recruiting

Canada's annual conference of provincial premiers kicked off Tuesday in Winnipeg. One of its main topics was the healthcare system. Government members are unanimous: improving the healthcare system is not just a matter of financial investments and the transfers from Ottawa to the provinces.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told reporters the federal government could help the healthcare industry by, among other things, bringing in workers from overseas.

"They are principally responsible when it comes to immigration and bringing people into the country, which is why they play a crucial role in that. We've all been able to negotiate some arrangements that have allowed for us to be able to bring in new professionals. We've got (a memorandum of understanding) with the Philippines, for instance.," Smith told reporters.

In addition to consulting with each other, the premiers also met with representatives of healthcare workers. The Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions proposed to them several initiatives to develop the healthcare system, including increasing the number of nurses and setting limits on safe hours of continuous work.

B.C. Premier David Eby said one of the major challenges facing the province is the shortage of healthcare workers. "How do we use the immigration system to support the healthcare that British Columbians need? How do we use the federal government's national authority to set standards around the mobility of health-care workers? There are lots of important pieces of work to do. We've had a good discussion around the table about that."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he and his colleagues have discussed provincial immigration programs that are aimed at attracting skilled workers from abroad to different parts of Canada. He also added that his government is committed to working with the federal government to attract workers in various fields, including healthcare workers, because Ontario is also short of them.