The Canadian Healthcare System

Universal, decentralised and publicly funded

Canadian Medicare is Canada’s universal, decentralized, publicly funded health system financed by the provincial and territorial governments with a contribution from the federal government.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents are entitled to receive essential medical care from general practitioners and specialists free of charge at the point of delivery.

67% of Canadians purchase private insurance to cover the medical services deemed not essential, including dental and optical care.

Physician Remuneration - Specialists and Family Physicians

Most physicians are independent and self employed. They are reimbursed for their services through a fee-for-service model financed by the provincial and territorial governments.

Recently there has been a trend towards alternative payment models including salaried positions.

Physicians buy their own health insurance,  malpractice insurance, and contribute to their own retirement plan.

Physician fee schedules, salaries and bonuses vary considerably between the 13 provinces and territories in Canada. Fees and terms of service are negotiated by the provincial and territorial governments and the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons.

Family physicians making on average 271,000 CAD, medical specialists making on average 338,000 CAD, and surgical specialists earning 446,000 CAD.

Further Information about working in Canada

For more detailed information about Canada's healthcare system and the procedures for professional registration and visa applications, read the following articles.

Healthcare System

International Healthcare System Profile - Canada

Professional Registration

A Guide to Medical Registration in Canada for Physicians

Guide to Registering and Working as a Family Physician in Canada

A Guide to Specialist Physician Registration and Jobs in Canada

International Medical Graduate's Guide to the MCCQE 1 Exam

Visas and Work Permits

Atlantic Immigration Program - A Fast Route to PR in Canada

Living and Working in Canada

Five Facts About Life in Canada for International Physicians

The Canadian Economy - strong, resilient and diversified.  

Canada, the world's second largest country by total area, is one of the world's richest countries with a strong diversified economy and vast natural resources which give it the advantage of being a net exporter of energy.

Services dominate the economy and employ 75% of the workforce but natural resources, forestry, agriculture, mining and manufacturing (aviation and automobiles) are important components. 

Atlantic Canada and Alberta possess vast oil and natural gas resources.

The Canadian Prairies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are globally important producers of wheat, canola, and other grains.

Canada is a leading exporter of zinc, uranium, gold, nickel, platinoids, aluminum, steel, iron ore, coking coal, lead, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, and cadmium.