Value of family physicians
Family physicians are the backbone of Canada’s health care system. As highly skilled generalists and family medicine specialists, they provide more than half of all medical services in Canada, manage complex chronic conditions, and deliver comprehensive care across patients’ lives and in diverse settings.
The continuity of care family doctors provide improves patient outcomes and reduces emergency department visits and hospitalizations.
The Taskforce is advancing coordinated advocacy to promote the accurate use of “family physician” and “family doctor,” strengthen recognition of their distinct expertise and essential role, and support sustained investment in family medicine.
Administrative burden
Low-value administrative work takes family physicians away from patient care and contributes to burnout, reduced practice hours, physicians leaving family medicine, and medical students choosing other specialties. At a time when six million Canadians do not have a regular family doctor, family physicians spent time equivalent to over one million patient visits completing 250,000 Disability Tax Credit forms in 2024—a burden projected to increase by more than 50 per cent with the introduction of the Canada Disability Benefit.
The Taskforce is calling for a simpler Disability Tax Credit process and stable funding for responsibly used, human-verified AI scribes, which can save family physicians up to 64 minutes a day and help them be more present with patients.
- Calls for DTC Changes
- DTC Support Letter – Signed
- Call for AI Scribe funding
- AI Scribes Letter of Support FFM TF – Signed
Family medicine education
Canada has more than doubled first-year medical school enrolment since 2000–01 and increased family medicine residency positions by 12.8 per cent since 2015, but the capacity to train learners in community settings has not kept pace.
Without adequate teaching space, digital infrastructure, learner accommodations, and support for preceptors, expanded enrolment may not result in more family physicians—particularly in underserved communities. The Taskforce is proposing targeted investment in community-based teaching clinics, distributed and digitally enabled education, preceptor capacity, learner supports, and community partnerships to expand high-quality training and strengthen the recruitment and retention of family physicians where they are most needed.