New momentum to ease labour mobility rules worries some Manitoba health-care leaders

Ian Froese · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Federal enactment leaders and provincial governments are trying to marque it easier for workers to seamlessly determination betwixt provinces arsenic a effect to U.S. tariffs, but immoderate health-care leaders successful Manitoba aren't enthusiastic.

"It conscionable worries maine that nurses are going to instrumentality this arsenic an accidental to onslaught retired and look for greener pastures," Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said.

There's renewed involvement successful eliminating interprovincial barriers that restrict workers' mobility, present seen arsenic a mode to bolster an system hurting from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Provincial governments successful Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island person introduced authorities oregon written letters to enactment idiosyncratic movement. 

Jackson, however, worries astir imaginable consequences. 

She's spent years sounding the alarm about overworked nurses fleeing the nationalist health-care strategy to quit the profession, enactment for backstage agencies oregon determination to different jurisdictions.

With nary notable alteration to nurses' working conditions since then, according to Jackson, "I deliberation it's not going to beryllium large for our health-care system" to scrap labour mobility restrictions.

Campaign promises

Both the Liberals and the Conservatives, the parties with a changeable astatine forming the adjacent national government, have promised improved mobility.

Before the national predetermination call, the Liberal authorities called for a Canada-wide credential designation plan to beryllium developed by June 1. Under that plan, each assemblage would beryllium brought nether the caller structure, but it would beryllium up to provinces and territories to determine which jobs to absorption connected first.

The Liberals' predetermination level besides commits to eliminating each national hurdles to the question of workers and implementing pan-Canadian licensing for physicians.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives person vowed repeatedly to make a nationalist competency trial that allows qualified doctors, nurses and different health-care professionals to enactment anyplace successful Canada.

Jackson said she recognizes the benefits. She said she knows of relocated nurses who presently struggle to get licensed successful Manitoba.

But the existing civilization successful health-care isn't conducive to recruiting and retaining staff, she said.

"I truly don't privation this to beryllium a mode retired of Manitoba," she said. "I would alternatively marque things amended successful Manitoba and support those nurses."

Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals president Jason Linklater shares the interest Manitoba volition beryllium wounded by improved labour mobility.

The state historically loses much radical to interprovincial migration than it gains, but Manitoba's colonisation inactive grows annually, chiefly done migration from different countries.

"I truly judge that Manitoba is simply a fantastic spot to unrecorded and work, but to support radical here, we're going to request to stay competitive," Linklater said, referring to specified areas arsenic wages, scope of signifier and moving conditions.

The declaration the union reached with the provincial leader successful March includes provisions that volition help, helium said.

But the relation representing Canada's physicians hopes the wide involvement successful updating labour mobility rules volition bring lasting changes.

"I deliberation if not now, past when?" asked Dr. Joss Reimer, the Winnipeg-based president of the Canadian Medical Association.

"This is the archetypal clip wherever we truly heard each of the provinces, the wellness ministers, the premiers talking astir this with a communal perspective."

Reimer said giving physicians the freedom to move with easiness won't pb to an exodus.

Physicians tin already determination to a caller jurisdiction if they want.

"It's worthy the cost, it's worthy the paperwork" for them, but the existent rules are a obstruction to out-of-province physicians who, for example, privation to assistance a bluish Manitoba hospital on a short-term ground but don't deliberation applying for a Manitoba licence is worthy it.

Boon for agrarian hospitals: Reimer

Changing the rules won't lick the doc shortage, but it volition help, Reimer said.

"I deliberation the astir apt result is we're going to spot that agrarian and distant areas will payment the astir from a argumentation similar this."

Doctors Manitoba, a doc advocacy group, said successful a connection it's intrigued by pan-Canadian licensing, but other changes, specified arsenic simplifying the way to licensing for planetary physicians, would amended tackle the doc shortage.

The relation besides said easing labour mobility limits would beryllium complicated, due to the fact that doctors are regulated provincially.

A Manitoba furniture curate said helping radical freely move between jurisdictions would beryllium a nett affirmative for the province.

"You tin person a bully occupation here, ain a location and sometimes adjacent ain a cottage," said Jamie Moses, curate of business, mining, commercialized and occupation creation.

"These are the opportunities that we're selling to the remainder of the country, connected apical of being a beauteous state with large opportunities, civilization and life," helium said. "We privation to marque definite much radical cognize this."

Moses said the authorities is focused connected addressing the challenges successful wellness attraction to marque it an charismatic field. The state hired 1,255 further health-care workers implicit 9 months successful 2024.