As many doctors are choosing to leave Quebec because of new legislation set to cut salaries and impose performance targets, B.C. continues to address its own physician shortage.
But the president of Doctors of BC suggests it could be hard for the province to compete against others for those relocating general practitioners.
“We understand that Ontario and New Brunswick have already seen increases in applications from Quebec doctors, and I certainly hear questions about moving to British Columbia,” said Dr. Charlene Lui.
B.C.’s potential barriers, she says, could include the province’s high cost of living and a need to improve working conditions for physicians.
Lui says B.C. also needs to continue focusing on increasing training capacity and recruitment while improving working conditions to retain physicians.
“Recruitment efforts are ongoing, but I would also emphasize that retention efforts are equally important. Physicians do have an option of where they want to live and work, so we need to make sure that the working conditions are such that physicians feel they are able to do their job and not have excessive administrative burdens that make it difficult.”
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Since Bill 2 was passed in Quebec, shifting to an incentive-based doctor pay model next year, Ontario says more than 250 doctors from that province have applied for Ontario medical licenses.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia says it had five applicants in October who listed Quebec as their last location of practice.
B.C.’s Ministry of Health says it is too soon to say what impacts Bill 2 will have, and it’s instead working to attract U.S. doctors looking to relocate.
“Our focus is a US recruitment ad campaign that we launched in June and have ad placements in Washington, Oregon and California,” said a ministry spokesperson.
“We’re seeing a lot of interest from our campaign south of the border. From May to September 2025, we received over 1,800 job applications from qualified US health professionals. More than 174 health-care workers have accepted job offers.”
In 2023, B.C. implemented a new doctor pay model credited with successfully attracting new family physicians to the province and linking them with patients.