HESA Committee Report

Supplementary Report of the New Democratic Party

New Democrat members of the Standing Committee on Health urge the inclusion of recommendations that enable medical students, nurses and other health professionals to begin repayment of students loans once they have completed medical residencies, practicums or internships required for entry into their profession, and that allow students to take full advantage of existing federal loan forgiveness programs. Furthermore, we are concerned by witness accounts that existing Canada Student Loan repayment policies could be detrimental to recruitment and retention efforts in rural and remote communities.

The Committee heard from the Canadian Federation of Medical Students that delaying loan repayment until after the completion of medical residency would maximize the effectiveness of the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program for Family Doctors and Nurses, a program that provides an incentive for doctors and nurses to practice in rural and remote communities. They explained that some students with debt are unable to take advantage of the loan forgiveness program because they are shifting debt into lines of credits with lower interest rates at the start of their residency and can't qualify for loan forgiveness unless they have outstanding student loan debt.

The Royal College of Family Physicians of Canada echoed the concerns of medical students and encouraged an examination of the impacts of the Student Loan Forgiveness Program on the retention of health professionals in rural and remote communities.

The Committee also heard from the Dieticians of Canada that existing student loan repayment policies, combined with a lack of income during the internship, results in some students not completing their studies.

We therefore recommend an examination of Canada Student Loan Program policies that affect the recruitment and retention of health professionals, including a delay in the repayment of Canada Student Loans until the end of medical residency training periods, or practicums and internships that are required for entry into a profession.