VANCOUVER—Today, Health Minister Josie Osborne and Premier David Eby shared that the B.C. NDP government’s program to recruit American healthcare workers has succeeded in bringing 414 healthcare workers to B.C., 52 of them to jobs in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

This includes 6 doctors, 25 nurses, 3 nurse practitioners, and 8 allied health professionals in Vancouver Coastal Health alone, serving Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore and neighbouring communities. 

“Every person who sees one of these doctors or nurses is going to feel that America’s loss is our gain,” said George Chow, B.C. NDP MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview. “B.C. is fighting the nation-wide shortage of healthcare workers harder than any other province, and it’s making a difference.”

The B.C. Conservatives opposed the program, with many of their MLAs calling for it to be cut. “What an irresponsible, reckless, idiotic, waste of tax payers money,” said Heather Maahs, B.C. Conservative MLA for Chilliwack North.

Jody Toor, MLA for Langley-Willowbrook came out against the program even when it was already seeing early results: “We should be asking: was this really money well spent?,” she said in September. 

This is just one example of how B.C. Conservative healthcare cuts would mean fewer doctors and nurses. 

“We’re welcoming 52 healthcare workers to Richmond and surrounding communities who would not have come here if the B.C. Conservatives had their way and got this program cut,” said Kelly Greene, B.C. NDP MLA for Richmond-Steveston. “There is more work to do to make sure everyone in BC has access to the healthcare they need. But the success of this recruitment program makes it clear that Conservative cuts would make it harder to access healthcare.”

The B.C. NDP’s plan to retain, recruit and train more healthcare workers also includes increasing the seats at UBC’s medical school to 328, and building the new SFU Medical School in Surrey, which begins training future doctors in September.