Quebec has shallower foreign labour pool to pick from than other provinces because of French-language requirements
Despite a shortage of professionals in the health-care sector, Quebec is keeping French-language requirements in place for foreign doctors and nurses.
The province is focusing recruiting efforts on France and Switzerland and on getting Quebec health-care workers who left for Europe to come home.
“I went to a conference in Switzerland and I could hear the Quebec accent everywhere in the corridors,” Philippe Couillard, the province’s health minister, told the Canadian Press. “One of our main targets when we go to Switzerland is to get the Quebec nurses there and take them back home.”
Quebec is facing a shortage of about 1,000 doctors and a number of nursing specialists. The provincial Liberals have pledged to recruit 750 doctors and 1,500 nurses during their mandate.
Because of the language restrictions, Quebec — already facing the same shortage as other provinces — is in an even tougher spot than the rest of Canada. While other provinces have been successful in luring health-care professionals from South Africa and the Philippines, Quebec is basically tied to Europe and a handful of North African countries, according to the Canadian Press report.
“Honestly, we don’t have many requests (to come to Quebec) from people who do not speak French,” Couillard said.
Quebec is also focusing on training programs to get immigrant doctors up to the province’s standards. Quebec Immigration Minister Michelle Courchesne said a new program which provided workshops and coaching to help foreign health-care professionals increased the pass rate from 30 per cent to more than 50 per cent for the test to work in the medical field.
The province is also planning to offer more restricted licences to doctors who were trained overseas and are willing to work at least six years in rural parts of the province.
The province is focusing recruiting efforts on France and Switzerland and on getting Quebec health-care workers who left for Europe to come home.
“I went to a conference in Switzerland and I could hear the Quebec accent everywhere in the corridors,” Philippe Couillard, the province’s health minister, told the Canadian Press. “One of our main targets when we go to Switzerland is to get the Quebec nurses there and take them back home.”
Quebec is facing a shortage of about 1,000 doctors and a number of nursing specialists. The provincial Liberals have pledged to recruit 750 doctors and 1,500 nurses during their mandate.
Because of the language restrictions, Quebec — already facing the same shortage as other provinces — is in an even tougher spot than the rest of Canada. While other provinces have been successful in luring health-care professionals from South Africa and the Philippines, Quebec is basically tied to Europe and a handful of North African countries, according to the Canadian Press report.
“Honestly, we don’t have many requests (to come to Quebec) from people who do not speak French,” Couillard said.
Quebec is also focusing on training programs to get immigrant doctors up to the province’s standards. Quebec Immigration Minister Michelle Courchesne said a new program which provided workshops and coaching to help foreign health-care professionals increased the pass rate from 30 per cent to more than 50 per cent for the test to work in the medical field.
The province is also planning to offer more restricted licences to doctors who were trained overseas and are willing to work at least six years in rural parts of the province.
