From January to December 2025, Internationally Trained Physicians in Canada (ITPC) advanced sustained, coordinated advocacy at municipal, provincial, and national levels to address systemic barriers faced by internationally trained physicians (ITPs). Advocacy efforts spanned research, policy engagement, public education, legal action, and grassroots mobilization.

Canada’s Ethical Framework for the Recruitment and Retention of Internationally Educated Health Professionals (IEHPs) was developed to guide ethical and responsible practices in response to global health workforce shortages. Grounded in the WHO Global Code of Practice, the framework outlines principles and voluntary standards to support governments, regulators, employers, and partners in recruiting, integrating, and retaining IEHPs.

Specialist ITPs are diverse, experienced and highly skilled. With training from 45 countries around the globe, almost 90% of the respondent ITPs have more than three years of specialist training, and over half have more than five years of independent clinical practice. Although skilled ITP specialists have various pathways available in Canada, a labyrinth of barriers prevent most of them from accessing licensure; these barriers however are not without actionable solutions!