Canada’s healthcare system is at a critical juncture as it continues to face workforce challenges with respect to capacity —a challenge which had long persisted long before the pandemic made it into a crisis. The gap between the number of healthcare professionals needed to deliver quality care and the actual supply of available professionals is huge and will continue to widen over the next 10 years if nothing more is done. That is one of the narratives emerging from Health Canada’s recent Workforce Education, Training and Distribution Study. While recruitment strategies remain an important part of the solution, experts agree that we cannot simply recruit our way out of this challenge. Instead, a multifaceted approach is needed—one that balances workforce retention, role optimization, and strategic investments in education and training.
Health Canada’s recently released report, Caring for Canadians: Canada’s Future Health Workforce, offers a comprehensive look at the current state of health workforce education, training, and distribution in Canada across five professions critical to primary care delivery. The study provides valuable insights into the systemic barriers preventing the efficient development and deployment of healthcare professionals and proposes actionable recommendations for addressing these challenges.
In this episode of The HQ Podcast, we explore the findings of this significant study and the implications for Canada’s healthcare workforce and those responsible for developing these professionals. Joining us is Dr. Geneviève Moineau, Chief Medical Workforce Advisor at Health Canada and Chair of the Caring for Canadians: Canada’s Future Health Workforce report. Dr. Moineau has dedicated her career to advancing medical education and workforce planning, having previously served as President & CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) and now serving as Vice-President of the World Federation for Medical Education. With her extensive experience in education, policy, and workforce strategy, Dr. Moineau provides key insights into what needs to happen next to develop a sustainable health workforce for the future.
What will it take to match the supply of healthcare professionals with system needs and demand? How do we ensure that educational institutions, regulators, and employers work collaborate and coordinate to develop the workforce we need? And what risks do we face if we fail to address these structural gaps? Tune in as we dive into these pressing questions with one of Canada’s foremost experts in health workforce strategy.
Key Discussions:
The State of Canada’s Healthcare Workforce
What are the most pressing challenges facing Canada’s health workforce today?
How does the Caring for Canadians report help us understand the scale of the issue?
Education and Training as a Workforce Solution
What role does the education system play in addressing the workforce supply gap?
How do professional associations, colleges, governments, regulators, and employers influence workforce training and distribution?
Overcoming System Barriers
Why isn’t simply adding more education seats enough to fix the problem?
How can we address misalignment between educational institutions and workforce needs?
What systemic obstacles need to be removed to increase efficiency in training and licensing healthcare professionals?
Innovations in Workforce Development
What are some emerging strategies or models that show promise in closing the workforce gap?
How are different provinces and territories approaching workforce development?
Next Steps and Policy Recommendations
What recommendations from the Caring for Canadians report should be prioritized?
How have provincial and territorial governments responded to the findings?
What actions are needed to ensure long-term workforce sustainability in Canada’s healthcare system?
About Our Guests:
Dr. Geneviève Moineau
Chief Medical Workforce Advisor, Health Canada
Vice-President, World Federation for Medical Education
Dr. Geneviève Moineau was appointed Health Canada’s Chief Medical Workforce Advisor in August 2023 to support the federal response to current health workforce challenges. In this role, she led the Canadian Health Workforce Education, Training and Distribution Study mandated by health ministers with the resulting report, Caring for Canadians: Canada’s Future Health Workforce, approved in January 2025 at the Heath Minister’s Meeting. She has advised on budget 2024 initiatives, and engaged with health workforce, health professions education, regulation and accreditation leaders across the country to support collaboration in addressing health workforce issues in Canada now, and into the future.
In January 2023, Dr. Moineau became Vice-President of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). The WFME was established in 1972 by the World Medical Association (WMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to enhance the quality of medical education worldwide. Current priorities include the promotion of accreditation through the WFME Recognition Programme, raising the standards for basic and postgraduate medical education and continuing professional development through the publication of expert consensus of minimum and quality standards, and maintaining the World Directory of Medical Schools. She is leading work on the establishment of a WFME Recognition Programme for PGME and CPD, the launch of a Declaration on the role of Institutions in supporting learners along the continuum of education, and the WFME 2025 World Conference to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on May 25-28, 2025.
Dr. Moineau completed a 10-year term as President and CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) on June 30, 2023. During her tenure, Dr. Moineau was instrumental in shaping and delivering on AFMC’s key priorities. She led the establishment of a new health research portfolio, successful advocacy which resulted in the reduction of the number of unmatched Canadian medical graduates, the independence of the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS), the confirmation of social accountability as the first priority in AFMC’s strategic plan, the increased international reach of AFMC including the development of the International Social Accountability and Accreditation Think Tank and the creation of the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM). She co-led the development of the Academic Health Institutions’ Declaration on Planetary Health which has over 400 signatories worldwide. Under Dr. Moineau’s leadership, the AFMC was successful in receiving support for important activities such as the National Consortium on Indigenous Medical Education, the AFMC Opioid Response Project, Canada’s Portal for Residency Program Promotion (CANPREPP), the Student Portal for Visiting Electives as well as the Culture of Academic Medicine Initiative.
Dr. Moineau is an MD graduate of the University of Ottawa and completed her Pediatric Residency at the University of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. She is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa and practices Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
A proud mother of 3 and grandmother of 6, she enjoys spending time with her family, staying active on her bicycle, her windsurfer and her skis as well as travelling to new locations to develop her skills in wildlife photography.
Helpful Links and Resources:
Guest: Dr. Geneviève Moineau | LinkedIn
Caring for Canadians: Canada’s Future Health Workforce | Read the Report
Health Canada | Website
Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) | Website
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