Whereas medical practice has been restricted to the province or territory in which the licence was granted as each province has its own regulatory body; And whereas British Columbia, has a shortage of medical professionals, contributing to long wait times, emergency room closures and difficulty accessing primary care: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urges the provincial government to hire more qualified medical professionals by providing immediate provisional licences for those trained in Canada.
Ministry of Health Medical practitioners in British Columbia are regulated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC CPSBC under the authority of the Health Professions Act HPA. The CPSBC is a self-governing regulatory body that operates independently of government, and the Province does not direct or interfere with the Colleges registration, licensing, or regulatory decisions. Under the HPA, the CPSBC has been delegated authority to oversee the practice of medicine in the public interest, including establishing, monitoring, and enforcing standards of practice; managing registration and licensure; and responding to complaints regarding the conduct of individual practitioners. In recognition of the importance of interprovincial labour mobility, the Canadian Free Trade Agreement CFTA includes provisions related to this. Its objective is to reduce and eliminate, to the extent possible, barriers to the free movement of persons, goods, services, and investments within Canada and to establish an open, efficient, and stable domestic market. Under Chapter 7 of the CFTA, workers certified by a regulatory authority in a province or territory should be recognized throughout Canada without the need for significant additional training, examination or assessment. This provision applies to physicians who hold full, unrestricted licensure in another Canadian jurisdiction and wish to be licensed with the CPSBC. The CPSBC licensure process for physicians who hold full, unrestricted licensure in another Canadian jurisdiction currently takes 3 to 5 weeks, subject to submission of all necessary documentation from the issuing jurisdiction. In assessing an applicants eligibility for registration pursuant to the CFTA, the CPSBC undertakes a standard process, which includes a review of the applicants fitness to practise, currency in practice, criminal record, complaints and discipline history, and compliance with relevant requirements under the HPA. The CPSBC Fast-Tracked Route to Licensure Policy introduced March 2022, amended January 2025 permits applicants pursuant to the CFTA to become licensed without the need for additional language testing and enables applicants to apply directly to the CPSBC without the need for credential verification through physiciansapply.ca. The Ministry continues to work with CPSBC and national partners to incorporate appropriate regulatory innovation in support of labour mobility and credential recognition through a patient safety and quality improvement approach.