Dr. Paul Dhillon speaks to his motions, one of which called on the College of Family Physicians of Canada to ‘immediately cease the implementation of the third year in family practice program.’ The motion passed overwhelmingly. (Courtesy Dr. Paul Dhillon)
No word on whether College of Family Physicians of Canada will honour the non-binding vote
Family doctors across Canada have overwhelmingly sent a message to put a pause on adding an extra year to their residency training, but there’s no word yet on whether the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) will honour that non-binding vote.
More than 91 per cent of the 2,775 physicians registered to vote at the CFPC’s annual membership meeting Wednesday approved a motion to “immediately cease the implementation of the third year in family practice program,” establish an independent review committee to present recommendations, then decide what to do, based on evidence.
Dr. Paul Dhillon, a family physician from Sechelt, B.C., who wrote and spoke for the motion, shared the results with CBC News.
“I still haven’t found a single other organization that’s supportive of the college’s decision to do a third year. I think this was a resounding victory, a resounding statement to say, ‘Stop.’ Now, whether they listen, that becomes the next really big question,” said Dhillon.
“I think it’s just a very clear disconnect between the College and its membership.”
- There’s growing opposition to making family doctor training longer
- As Canada moves toward 3-year training for family doctors, some worry about worsening shortages
Becoming a family doctor in Canada is currently a 10-year process: Four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, and then two years of family medicine specialty training. Family doctors already have an option of adding a third year to focus training on a specific area of practice, and all physicians do continuing education throughout their careers.
However, the College says a mandated third year starting in 2027 will prepare physicians to deal with more complex patients, including elder care, mental health and addictions and Indigenous health. It will also help them work in multi-disciplinary teams.
In a message on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday, the College said status quo is not an option and one of the solutions to the doctor shortage is education reform.
The College also posted a document “debunking myths” about the extra year of training.
Earlier, CPFC spokesperson Courtny Vaz said the vote is not binding. The College has not said yet what it will do.
A message at the end of a post on the vote results reads: “We thank everyone who attended and participated in the AMM or who cast their vote by proxy. The CFPC will update you about the next steps.”
Doctors, students want more evidence
Physicians, medical students and residents have said the College needs to provide evidence that a third year of training will provide better outcomes to patients and make their practices more sustainable.
At a time when one in five Canadians don’t have a family physician, there is concern an extra year of training would make the shortage even worse.
For weeks before Wednesday’s vote, groups such as the Ontario Medical Association, Resident Doctors of Canada and Doctors Manitoba asked the College to put the plan on hold and work with them to explore options.
“Family medicine is in crisis in Ontario and other parts of the country. Now is not the time to focus on implementing a third year of training, but rather the time to work with you on solutions to fix the family medicine crisis with implementation of the patient’s medical home of team-based care,” OMA CEO John Bozzo wrote in a letter to CFPC president Dr. Christie Newton.
Provincial health ministers also “put it in the statement unanimously that residency requirements should stay at two years,” B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix told reporters after a meeting in Charlottetown.
