Interprovincial migration
CMAJ 1997;157:1492
© Canadian Medical Association
Each year between 1 and 2% of active civilian physicians in Canada (excluding residents) migrate to another province or territory. The Southam Medical Database at the Canadian Institute for Health Information, reports that in the year ending in December 1995, 675 physicians changed provinces.
The net balance of interprovincial migration for each province is the total gain of active physicians from other jurisdictions less the total loss due to migration. Provinces such as Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan traditionally report annual net losses of physicians but Newfoundland currently records the largest losses relative to its active physician supply. In 1995 Newfoundland lost physicians primarily to Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Ontario usually experiences a net gain of physicians, but the volume is much less than that encountered by British Columbia, based on both nominal counts and relative to the physician population. For the period 1990 to 1995, Ontario averaged a net gain of approximately 15 physicians per year and BC recorded an average annual gain of 118 physicians. In 1995, over half (52%) of the physicians who left Ontario migrated to either Quebec or BC.
Movement is most prevalent among physicians with less than 10 years of experience. Of all active civilian physicians who moved interprovincially in 1995, 68% graduated within the previous 10 years.
Over time GP/FPs have been more likely to move interprovincially than specialists, although the gap appears to be narrowing. In 1990, 62% of physicians moving to another province were GP/FPs while in 1995, 56% were GP/FPs.
|
Province/territory |
Net balance of active physicians (denotes loss) |
| |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
| Newfoundland |
(52) |
(44) |
(40) |
(23) |
(37) |
(34) |
| PEI |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
| NS |
(19) |
(8) |
(2) |
(11) |
(36) |
(2) |
| NB |
(11) |
3 |
(7) |
(5) |
17 |
16 |
| Quebec |
(13) |
(67) |
(30) |
14 |
(26) |
(19) |
| Ontario |
32 |
44 |
6 |
(57) |
38 |
24 |
| Manitoba |
(28) |
(28) |
(36) |
(49) |
(20) |
(15) |
| Saskatchewan |
(42) |
(32) |
(73) |
(59) |
(4) |
(15) |
| Alberta |
17 |
16 |
22 |
21 |
(24) |
(31) |
| BC |
113 |
116 |
157 |
167 |
78 |
76 |
| Yukon |
(1) |
(1) |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
| NWT |
1 |
1 |
(1) |
(2) |
5 |
(2) |
| Canada |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
This column was written by Lynda Buske, chief, physician resources information planning, CMA. Readers may send potential research topics to Patrick Sullivan (sullip@cma.ca; 800 663-7336, x2126; fax 613 523-0937).
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