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EDMONTON — The Alberta Medical Association is warning the province could face a major loss of physicians if the current referendum process ultimately moves Alberta toward separation from Canada.
In a recent AMA Pulse Survey, 63 per cent of the 1,649 practising physicians who responded said they would stop practising in Alberta if the province separated from Canada.
Fifty-five per cent said they would move to another province or territory and discontinue practising in Alberta. Another eight per cent said they would retire or leave medical practice earlier than planned.
Only 15 per cent said they would continue practising in an independent Alberta, raising fears of a major health-care shortfall should the province seek independence.
Another 18 per cent said they were uncertain about what they would do.
The AMA stressed the results are not a forecast of what physicians would ultimately do. The association says they reflect physicians’ stated intentions when asked to consider how separation could affect their professional future.
AMA President Dr. Heidi Fell said the organization is not telling Albertans how to vote, but believes the potential impact on the physician workforce is relevant to the wider public discussion.
The warning comes as Albertans prepare to vote Oct. 19 on a referendum that includes a question on Alberta sovereignty. Option One says Alberta should remain in Canada, while Option Two calls for a binding referendum on Alberta sovereignty.
The association is also raising concerns about how separation could affect health-care funding and access to services.
According to the AMA, Alberta is expected to receive approximately $7 billion through the Canada Health Transfer in 2026-27. The association says separation would raise questions about how that funding would be replaced, along with continued access to medicines, medical equipment and other services.
The AMA is also seeking answers from the province about several of the other referendum questions and Alberta’s new health-care cards.
Fell said physicians sometimes have to make clinical decisions before a patient’s identity, residency status or eligibility for publicly funded coverage can be confirmed.
The AMA says uncertainty over coverage should not unnecessarily delay medically necessary care, and doctors and clinic staff should not be placed in the position of determining or enforcing a patient’s immigration or coverage status.
The association has asked the province to clarify how care would be handled when coverage cannot immediately be confirmed, whether physicians would be expected to take on additional administrative responsibilities, and whether doctors could bill retroactively if a patient’s coverage is later restored.
The AMA material provided does not include figures showing how many physicians currently practising in Alberta came from another province or from outside Canada.
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