Canada’s healthcare system is experiencing sustained physician workforce shortages, reflected in reduced access to primary care, periodic emergency department closures, and growing pressure on healthcare delivery systems. The core challenge is not a shortage of qualified physicians. Rather, it is the absence of a structured and consistent pathway that enables ITPs progression from supervised clinical work to independent licensure. A ladder-to-licensure model addresses this gap.

From January to April 2026, ITPC advanced a coordinated national advocacy strategy focused on reducing systemic barriers faced by internationally trained physicians (ITPs). Throughout this period, ITPC strengthened its role as a key national voice by grounding its advocacy in evidence from its Specialist ITP Report, ensuring that stakeholder engagement, policy discussions, and recommendations were consistently data-driven and reflective of real-world ITP experiences.

Internationally Trained Physicians of Canada (ITPC) welcomes the Government of Ontario’s decision to rescind the eligibility policy introduced on October 8, 2025, which impacted the 2025–2026 CaRMS R-1 residency match cycle across all Ontario programs.