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OTTAWA – Nearly nine in 10 Canadians say the doctor shortage is urgent, and they want to see faster solutions, without lowering medical standards. A new survey conducted by Nanos Research for the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) finds strong support for making it easier for qualified doctors trained abroad to practise in Canada, while maintaining checks on credentials and competence.
The survey points to three groups that could help Canada add doctors more quickly: Canadians who have studied medicine abroad, doctors from pre-approved countries with medical education and training comparable to Canada’s, and internationally trained physicians already living in Canada but working in a field unrelated to health care.
“What stands out is how pragmatic Canadians are about the doctor shortage,” said Nik Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos Research. “They want Canadians trained abroad and doctors from comparable medical systems moving into practice faster, but they also want credentials verified and competence assessed. Speed and standards are not competing priorities.”
“Canada has qualified physicians who could help address the shortage,” said Dr. Viren Naik, chief executive officer of the MCC. “The next step is to create clearer, more consistent ways for them to demonstrate they are ready to practise. National assessment tools can help regulators make licensing decisions efficiently and consistently, while also ensuring physicians are equipped to provide safe care for Canadians.”
Canadians also support mandatory checks before physicians who are trained and licensed outside Canada enter practice. Ninety-one per cent say credential verification should be mandatory, while 78 per cent say the same of a national written exam. A further 77 per cent say both a practical assessment and a supervised 12-week work placement should be required.
The findings come as governments and medical regulators across Canada look for ways to expand access to care while maintaining public confidence in physician licensing. They suggest there is broad public support for moving qualified physicians into practice more quickly when faster routes are backed by clear, credible assessment.
The MCC does not license physicians. It sets national standards and provides examinations, assessments and credential services that support medical regulatory authorities in making safe licensing decisions. Provinces and territories retain responsibility for licensing physicians.
The research was presented by Nik Nanos at the MCC’s Annual Meeting in Ottawa on September 29, 2026.
Nanos Research conducted a representative non-probability online survey of 1,000 Canadians aged 18 and older from May 6 to 11, 2026. The sample was geographically stratified to be representative of Canada. A margin of error cannot be calculated for a non-probability sample. For comparison, a probability sample of 1,000 respondents would have a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
View the full report on the Nanos Research website
The MCC ensures a standard of safe care for patients across Canada through the assessment of physicians and validation of credentials. Whether planning to practise or already practising medicine in Canada, close to 50,000 students, graduates, and physicians engage with the MCC every year as part of their pathway towards the practice of medicine in Canada.
As one of North America’s premier market and public opinion research firms, we put strategic intelligence into the hands of decision makers. The majority of our work is for private sector and public facing organizations and ranges from market studies, managing reputation through to leveraging data intelligence. Nanos Research offers a vertically integrated full service quantitative and qualitative research practice to attain the highest standards and the greatest control over the research process.
For questions about the research, please contact Nik Nanos, Founder and Chief Data Scientist at Nanos Research at [email protected].
Meredith Dault
Manager, Strategic Communications
Medical Council of Canada
[email protected]
613-521-6012