Federal party leaders and provincial governments are trying to make it easier for workers to seamlessly move between provinces as a response to U.S. tariffs, but some health-care leaders in Manitoba aren’t enthusiastic.
“It just worries me that nurses are going to take this as an opportunity to strike out and look for greener pastures,” Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said.
There’s renewed interest in eliminating interprovincial barriers that restrict workers’ mobility, now seen as a way to bolster an economy hurting from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Provincial governments in Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have introduced legislation or written letters to support worker movement.
Jackson, however, worries about potential consequences.
She’s spent years sounding the alarm about overworked nurses fleeing the public health-care system to quit the profession, work for private agencies or move to other jurisdictions.
With no notable change to nurses’ working conditions since then, according to Jackson, “I think it’s not going to be great for our health-care system” to scrap labour mobility restrictions.
Both the Liberals and the Conservatives, the parties with a shot at forming the next federal government, have promised improved mobility.
Before the federal election call, the Liberal government called for a Canada-wide credential recognition plan to be developed by June 1. Under that plan, every profession would be brought under the new structure, but it would be up to provinces and territories to decide which jobs to focus on first.
The Liberals’ election platform also commits to eliminating all federal hurdles to the movement of workers and implementing pan-Canadian licensing for physicians.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have vowed repeatedly to develop a national competency test that allows qualified doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals to work anywhere in Canada.
Jackson said she recognizes the benefits. She said she knows of relocated nurses who currently struggle to get licensed in Manitoba.
But the existing culture in health-care isn’t conducive to recruiting and retaining staff, she said.
“I really don’t want this to be a way out of Manitoba,” she said. “I would rather make things better in Manitoba and keep those nurses.”
Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals president Jason Linklater shares the worry Manitoba will be hurt by improved labour mobility.
The province historically loses more people to interprovincial migration than it gains, but Manitoba’s population still grows annually, mainly through immigration from other countries.
“I really believe that Manitoba is a fantastic place to live and work, but to keep people here, we’re going to need to remain competitive,” Linklater said, referring to such areas as wages, scope of practice and working conditions.
The contract the union reached with the provincial employer in March includes provisions that will help, he said.
But the association representing Canada’s physicians hopes the broad interest in updating labour mobility rules will bring lasting changes.
“I think if not now, then when?” asked Dr. Joss Reimer, the Winnipeg-based president of the Canadian Medical Association.
“This is the first time where we really heard all of the provinces, the health ministers, the premiers talking about this with a common perspective.”
Reimer said giving physicians the freedom to move with ease won’t lead to an exodus.
Physicians can already move to a new jurisdiction if they want.
“It’s worth the cost, it’s worth the paperwork” for them, but the current rules are a barrier to out-of-province physicians who, for example, want to help a northern Manitoba hospital on a short-term basis but don’t think applying for a Manitoba licence is worth it.
Changing the rules won’t solve the physician shortage, but it will help, Reimer said.
“I think the most likely outcome is we’re going to see that rural and remote areas will benefit the most from a policy like this.”
Doctors Manitoba, a physician advocacy group, said in a statement it’s intrigued by pan-Canadian licensing, but other changes, such as simplifying the path to licensing for international physicians, would better tackle the doctor shortage.
The association also said easing labour mobility limits would be complicated, because doctors are regulated provincially.
A Manitoba cabinet minister said helping people freely move between jurisdictions would be a net positive for the province.
“You can have a good job here, own a home and sometimes even own a cottage,” said Jamie Moses, minister of business, mining, trade and job creation.
“These are the opportunities that we’re selling to the rest of the country, on top of being a beautiful province with great opportunities, culture and life,” he said. “We want to make sure more people know this.”
Moses said the government is focused on addressing the challenges in health care to make it an attractive field. The province hired 1,255 additional health-care workers over nine months in 2024.
More mobility could mean losing health-care workers: Manitoba union heads
