‎U.S. Doctors Flee to Canada Amid Trump's Return, Citing Safety, Ethics, and Health Policy Concerns

‎Michael, an experienced emergency room doctor, made a quiet but decisive move earlier this year: he relocated his family from the United States to Canada. His departure wasn’t just about personal safety or a career opportunity—it was a protest. The political climate under President Donald Trump, marked by increasing hostility and erosion of civil norms, pushed him to take action. In his words, “Our country is devolving to really step on people who are weak and vulnerable.”

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‎A record number of U.S. doctors are seeking licensure in Canada following Trump’s reelection, citing ethics, safety, and political interference.

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‎The shift northward is no longer anecdotal. Data from Canadian medical regulators and physician recruiters confirms a marked increase in interest and relocation from American doctors. The Medical Council of Canada reported a 750% rise in U.S. doctors initiating the licensing process through physiciansapply.ca over the past seven months, a spike from 71 to 615 applicants compared to the same period last year.

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‎Recruiters working across Canadian provinces are hearing a similar refrain from physicians: they’re seeking refuge from a political environment they no longer recognize. John Philpott, CEO of CanAm Physician Recruiting, noted that some doctors openly express shame over their American identity. “They state that right out of the gate: ‘I have to leave this country. It is not what it used to be.’”

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‎Canada’s public health care system and expanding medical licensure pathways are also easing transitions for American-trained physicians. Several provinces, including Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, have reported double or even triple the number of U.S. doctors registering to practice compared to previous years. Ontario alone registered 116 U.S.-trained doctors in early 2025—a 50% jump from previous quarters.

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‎The political pressure fueling these exits is multifaceted. Physicians have voiced concern over controversial decisions by the Trump administration, including appointing vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead federal health agencies, cutting Medicaid funding, opposing gender-affirming care, and scaling back pandemic preparedness. These moves are deeply troubling to doctors committed to evidence-based, inclusive medicine.

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‎Many American physicians are now willing to accept lower pay and undergo a rigorous licensing process to practice in Canada. CanAm recruiter and physician Rohini Patel said doctors she speaks with are often ready to relocate immediately, with little concern for compensation. Their priority is escaping an increasingly politicized health care environment.

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‎For some, the 2021 Capitol insurrection was the tipping point. Michael, who had been weighing a move since 2020, said that moment cemented his fears of a radicalized political culture. His decision, though long in the making, was expedited after Trump’s reelection and the growing normalization of vigilante behavior and authoritarian rhetoric in U.S. politics.

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‎The licensing process itself, Michael explained, wasn’t unusually burdensome. The real challenge is overcoming the emotional and bureaucratic fatigue that so many American physicians feel after years in a high-pressure, for-profit health system.

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‎Across the border, provinces are responding. In Manitoba—where physician shortages are critical—recruiters have begun targeting American doctors disillusioned by Trump-era politics. One recent campaign aimed at Florida and the Dakotas advertised “zero political interference in physician-patient relationships,” a direct appeal to doctors frustrated by U.S. policies.

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‎Alison Carleton, a family physician who relocated from Iowa to Manitoba in 2017, echoed those sentiments. Having abandoned her U.S. citizenship, she now works in a low-stress clinic free of the financial pressures that once defined her practice in America. “People I know have said, ‘You left just in time.’ I tell people, ‘I know. When are you going to move?’”

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‎The trend is no longer driven by wanderlust or financial opportunity but by a growing sense of professional disillusionment and ethical urgency. Organizations like Hippocratic Adventures, originally designed to help physicians explore global work opportunities, have seen their mission shift. Co-founder Ashwini Bapat said demand exploded after Trump’s reelection, with doctors no longer seeking adventure, but an exit strategy.

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‎Canada, with its commitment to universal care and a more stable political climate, now stands as a haven for doctors seeking to practice without ideological interference.