The Trump administration’s trade war is sowing chaos and uncertainty around the world, but one of its most significant impacts has not received the attention it deserves in Canada: the effect on our health-care system.
A recent survey conducted by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) revealed that nearly 90 per cent of physicians are worried about how changes to cross-border trade will affect their patients. Physicians are concerned about the rising cost of living, the escalating cost of medications, and the risk of potential shortages of medications. Remember the pandemic, when fear of shortages led many individuals to hoard everything from children’s cold medications to toilet paper? This trade war could ignite a similar response.
Currently, 16 per cent of our drug supply is imported from the United States. A trade war could have devastating impacts on pharmaceutical supply chains. Further, the inclusion of medications and pharmaceutical ingredients in Canada’s proposed counter-tariffs poses a direct risk to patient care, affordability and health-care system stability by causing shortages and limiting access for millions of Canadians.
Many essential medical items, including diagnostic tools, surgical instruments and medical devices also are imported from the United States or other countries. Increased tariffs on these products will drive up costs, which in turn could lead to delays and reduced access to health care.
As we’ve seen, this trade war requires a firm, coordinated response from all levels of government. It is critical that the trade of medical goods and medications be protected to avoid disruptions to patient care.
In every crisis there is an opportunity, as the saying goes. With decisive action, we can go beyond just protecting the health system and actually improve access for the millions of Canadians still seeking primary care.
That’s why the CMA is urging the federal government to:
- Continue to ensure pharmaceutical products and medical devices are not included in any countermeasures on tariffs.
- Improve safeguards for Canadian health data.
- Improve labour mobility so physicians can work across the country.
- Make it easier for qualified physicians to immigrate and work in Canada, including by fast-tracking immigration steps for U.S. physicians.
In addition to this immediate response, Canada should plan to increase self-sufficiency in domestic pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing through a vast direct investment strategy .
Beyond that, U.S. software companies dominate in our hospital sector, which is at risk of being subjected to foreign legislation, mandating the disclosure of Canadian health data in their possession. It is imperative that health data confidentiality remains a priority with safeguards implemented to ensure its security. Canadian-based servers should be the norm when storing Canadians’ health information, especially as the necessity for data-sharing across our health-care system grows.
We know that the health-care system is first and foremost a human resources system and we need to implement solutions that address the critical shortages across the country. Let’s leverage the momentum around suppressing internal trade barriers and start improving labour mobility among physicians and health-care professionals.
And let’s take advantage of the instability in the U.S. right now – Canadian legislators must make it easier for qualified physicians to work here. By simplifying immigration and credentialing pathways, Canada can better attract and retain qualified health-care providers from the U.S. and around the world, helping to address urgent system gaps and improve access to care across the country. The Medical Council of Canada has recently reported a 583-per-cent increase in U.S.-educated doctors signing up for its physician application portal.
These times are already stressful enough for Canadians. They do not deserve to also worry about their health-care access. We will ultimately get through this crisis like we did the others.
