On February 26, 2009, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (hereinafter the Committee) agreed to undertake a study examining Health Human Resources (HHR) in Canada with the following terms of reference: pan-Canadian HHR planning and coordination; research and data collection; inter-professional collaborative practice; internationally educated health professionals; the HHR needs of federal client groups; and recruitment and retention in rural and remote areas. The Committee further agreed that the jurisdictional complexities involved in HHR would be respected during the study, including recognition of the fact that the Province of Quebec considers HHR planning as its exclusive provincial responsibility and therefore does not participate in current pan-Canadian initiatives related to HHR.[1] The study also serves as an in-depth follow-up to the Committee’s statutory review of the 10‑Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care, completed in 2008, which included an examination of progress made by federal, provincial and territorial governments (F/P/T) in increasing the supply of health professionals in Canada as a result of commitments made in the 10-Year Plan and the 2003 Health Accord.[2]

Divided into chapters, this report begins by providing relevant background information regarding current HHR challenges in Canada and the federal role in HHR. The report’s subsequent chapters examine the topics identified in the aforementioned terms of reference of the study. These chapters summarize the testimony that the Committee heard during the course of its hearings, highlight issues raised by witnesses and identify actions needed to be taken by the federal government in these areas.

In total, the Committee held 12 hearings from April 2009 to May 2010; and undertook a two-day fact-finding mission to Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet from May 24 to 26 May, 2009. During the course of its hearings and site visits, the Committee heard from federal government officials, researchers and academics, professional health organizations, community health delivery organizations, and interested individuals.