A new case exposes how Canada’s physician shortage is a problem of governments’ making. So the solutions are clear
by The Editorial Board
September 26, 2026
B.C. Premier David Eby called an election this week claiming his government needs a mandate to deal with the Trump administration.
This is of course nonsense. There is little Eby or any other provincial government can do on the Trump file.
Health care, however, is another matter. Health care is within the premier’s jurisdiction, and should be a priority given the system’s myriad problems.
A new B.C. court decision shows where to begin. The province should make it easier for international medical graduates to practice, and it should better incentivize physicians to work in underserved areas.
The case was brought to the B.C. Supreme Court by two Canadians who completed medical school abroad.
Upon their return to B.C., both passed their qualifying exams, meaning they demonstrated that their “education, knowledge, and skills equate with what is expected of a graduate of a Canadian medical school,” the judge’s decision says.
Yet neither secured a residency position, a necessary step to becoming a doctor in Canada.
Why? Because B.C., like most provinces, severely limits the number of total residency positions and reserves the vast majority of them for graduates of Canadian medical schools.
The numbers paint a picture: in 2018, B.C. allocated 294 residency positions for Canadian medical graduates across 30 different specialities, the decision says. Almost all B.C. medical graduates got spots.
By contrast, it reserved just 58 residency spots for international medical graduates while about 1,000 sought positions. And just six of these were for specialists.
Red more at Canadian Affairs
