British Columbia has been making headlines with its latest push to recruit healthcare professionals from south of the border. Since March, nearly 1,200 U.S.-based professionals—including 573 doctors—have reportedly “expressed interest” in working in the Province.

Premier David Eby made the announcement standing alongside Health Minister Josie Osborne in Victoria. Osborne clarified that this surge in “interest” includes anyone who attended a webinar or made an inquiry on the province’s U.S.-targeted recruitment website, BCHealthCareers.ca. The numbers also include 413 nurses, 133 nurse practitioners, and 39 allied health professionals.

According to Eby, political uncertainty in the U.S., especially tied to the Trump administration’s return, has created fertile ground for B.C. to lure talent. Nurses, in particular, now have a much faster track to practice in B.C., thanks to a streamlined registration process introduced by the BC College of Nurses and Midwives—some reportedly able to begin work within days.

But here’s the rub.

While B.C. paints a rosy picture of incoming reinforcements for the province’s ailing healthcare system, the reality on the ground suggests a deeper, more systemic problem: we’re not paying the doctors we already have.

The Real Reason for the Family Doctor Crisis

There are approximately 19,000 licensed general practitioners in Canada who are not practicing comprehensive family medicine. Why? Because the economics of being a family doctor in this country no longer make sense.

In B.C., the average fee paid to a family physician is around $40 per patient visit—a number that hasn’t kept up with inflation. Out of this, doctors must pay for rent, staff salaries, and other overhead costs. Adjusted for today’s cost of living, that number should be closer to $100 per visit. Meanwhile, nurse practitioner–led private clinics in BC often charge between $75 to $90 per visit.

This gross under-compensation is driving physicians away from community family medicine and into hospital or ER positions, where pay and conditions are more sustainable. Ironically, this is the same tactic Premier Eby touted last year when he announced the creation of 100 new hospital doctor roles at Surrey Memorial Hospital. That move may have helped the hospital, but it likely siphoned even more doctors away from the community practices desperately in need of them.

Would American Doctors Stay Once They See the Pay?

Let’s not overlook another critical issue. While B.C. is busy launching an advertising campaign targeting healthcare workers in Washington, Oregon, and California, one has to ask: what happens when these doctors find out what they’ll actually be paid?

A family physician in the U.S. earns about CAD $130 per visit, with better tax deductions and lower income taxes overall. That’s more than triple what Canadian family doctors receive per visit. The gap isn’t just wide—it’s a canyon.

So, while 573 doctors from the U.S. have shown “interest,” how many will follow through once they understand the economic reality of practicing family medicine in Canada?

What Could Actually Fix the Problem?

Here’s an idea: rather than trying to poach healthcare workers from the U.S., why not invest in the ones already here?

• Create well-paid community family doctor positions with pensions, benefits, and overhead support.
• Increase per-patient fees to reflect inflation and true operating costs.
• Recognize that family doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are not just cogs in a wheel, but skilled professionals whose contributions hold up the entire healthcare system.

At Centrum Pharmacy in Orleans, we’ve been actively recruiting physicians to the local community for over 15 years. So far, along with our partner Orleans Family Health Clinic, we’ve brought in 12 new family doctors despite the many financial obstacles they face. That’s a testament to persistence—but also a glaring reflection of how difficult this process has become.

Final Thoughts

The current recruitment push might make for good headlines, but it won’t solve the real crisis in Canadian healthcare unless it’s accompanied by bold, structural changes. The professionals we rely on are overworked, underpaid, and burning out.

If Canada truly values the essential work of its family doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, then we must start paying them like it. Until then, attracting foreign healthcare workers may be little more than window dressing for a system in need of real repair.

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