Improving Health Care
Ensuring Canadians have timely access to high-quality, sustainable, publicly-funded health care is a top priority for all Premiers. Provinces and territories are continuing to take immediate and long-term action in areas such as health human resources, mental health and substance use, primary care, long-term care, home care, pharmaceuticals, and digital and physical health infrastructure. This includes a focus on supporting culturally-appropriate delivery of services.
Canadians depend on having access to qualified health care professionals ready and able to do the jobs they were trained to do. As the jurisdictions responsible for health, provinces and territories are focused on initiatives to retain, train and recruit health care workers through provincial and territorial-led action. Premiers will continue to take further actions to support a strong health workforce, including in the areas of:
- Streamlining credential recognition and licensure for internationally-educated health professionals;
- Improving mobility of health professionals within Canada;
- Advancing collaboration with and among regulatory bodies;
- Enhancing training and recruitment practices; and
- Addressing issues created by health human resource competition between provinces and territories.
Premiers committed to further action and results on this priority over the coming year, including holding a dedicated health summit aimed at advancing innovative work.
Building a Strong Labour Force
Labour shortages are affecting many sectors of Canada’s economy across all regions. As the jurisdictions responsible for education, training and employment development, provinces and territories are best positioned to address the needs of their respective labour markets and growing economies. Premiers are focused on innovative work to support a diverse, productive and well-trained workforce, including action on international recruitment, credential recognition, and skills training. This involves particular attention to the needs of rural and remote communities.
Meeting changing market demands and distinct regional pressures requires a flexible approach to labour recruitment and retention. Premiers urged the federal government to support their respective efforts to address skills gaps through immigration by:
- Expediting existing pathways and accelerating processing of applications to address specific labour market needs, including the issuance of required work permits;
- Increasing the share of provincial and territorial Nominee Programs in the selection of economic immigrants;
- Increasing the responsibility and involvement of provinces and territories in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program; and
- Ensuring any new immigration pathways are developed in partnership with provinces and territories to support alignment with local labour market needs.
Under the Canada-Québec Accord relating to immigration and temporary admission of immigrants, Québec fully assumes sole responsibility for establishing immigration levels, and for the selection, francization and integration of immigrants. Premiers called on the federal government to enter into additional agreements with interested provinces and territories.
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