If you’re an international medical graduate (IMG) new to practice in Canada, this page explains how CMPA provides you with medical liability protection to support your delivery of safe medical care.
We’re here to help you understand the medico-legal side of practising medicine in Canada, while other organizations guide you through licensing, immigration (if applicable), and credentialing. We also offer key resources to help you prevent the risk of a patient safety events and complaints.
Research shows that IMGs encounter unique medico-legal risks when practising in Canada. Being informed and protected early can help you focus on your clinical work, with CMPA by your side.
CMPA’s role is to provide medical liability protection and advice, education, research, and data to help you provide safe medical care.
We do not issue licences, licensure, arrange employment, or oversee immigration matters.
Information for IMGs
Canada has a universal healthcare system through which Canadians have access to medical care and physician services. There are occasions when patients experience unexpected or unintended harm related to the care provided.
An effective healthcare system responds appropriately to such difficult circumstances, first by ensuring care is provided to the harmed patient and disclosing the incident, and later by examining what led to the unintended outcome and making improvements to limit the likelihood of it happening again, if possible.
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An effective medical liability system ensures healthcare institutions and professionals are held accountable for their actions in a fair way, provides appropriate compensation for patients proven to have been harmed by negligent clinical care, and supports improvements in patient safety. It also complements an accountability framework that requires healthcare professionals to provide care to a commonly accepted medical standard.
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To learn about the ways CMPA benefits physicians and patients, watch 6 Things you should know about the CMPA.
CMPA is a not-for-profit mutual medical defence organization that is an integral part of the Canadian healthcare system.
Our roles are to:
- assist Canadian physicians with medico-legal matters related to their practice
- on behalf of our members, compensate patients injured as a result of negligent medical care (fault in Québec)
- advance patient safety
As Canada’s largest national medical association for doctors, with over 119,000 members, we are uniquely positioned to proactively enhance the safety of patient care and reduce the risk of harmful events. When members face a medico-legal action arising in Canada, they are generally eligible for assistance, including legal representation and support in civil legal actions, hospital complaints, and regulatory body matters. This assistance may include payment of legal costs, judgments, or settlements that compensate patients when it has been proven that they have been harmed by negligent medical care.
CMPA's protection is occurrence-based, which means members are generally eligible for assistance for medico-legal matters arising from care provided in Canada, regardless of when a legal matter may arise. As long as the physician was a member at the time the care was provided, they or their estate remain eligible for assistance for that care even if they later retire or leave practice. There is no monetary limit on the assistance a CMPA member is eligible to receive.
CMPA is not an insurance company and does not underwrite an individual physician’s risk through a contract of insurance. We do not regulate the practice of medicine, grant or remove licenses to physicians, or set standards of care.
Read more: Understanding the CMPA mutual membership model
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Obtaining adequate medical liability protection is the responsibility of the physician, not an employer or a sponsor. In most Canadian provinces and territories, physicians (including medical trainees) must obtain medical liability protection before they can be licensed to practise.
In addition, hospitals, postgraduate medical education programs, and employers may require physicians to demonstrate that they have appropriate medical liability protection as a condition of training or employment.
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As an IMG, once you have met the regulatory requirements to enter a Canadian training program or to begin practising, you have a professional obligation to verify what liability protection you need.
Here are some tips:
- Before arriving in Canada to practise medicine or undergo medical training, gather all the necessary facts and apply early for your postgraduate medical training, fellowship, or medical assignment.
- Contact the following organizations about your training and its requirements, where applicable:
- your appointed postgraduate medical education (PGME) program
- hospital administration
- Contact the medical regulatory authority (College) in the jurisdiction where you are going to work and ask what medical liability protection is required. Obtaining medical liability protection should be a top priority.
- If you have chosen CMPA as your liability protection provider, begin the process of applying for CMPA membership before you arrive in Canada. This will ensure you have appropriate and adequate medical liability protection when you start practising or training. Learn more about opening a Canadian bank account from outside of Canada.
- Do not hesitate to contact CMPA with any questions about becoming a member of the Association. We will be pleased to assist you.
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The mandate of medical regulatory Colleges in Canada is to protect the public by regulating the practice of medicine. They issue medical licences and registration certificates that allow a physician to practise medicine in Canada. Colleges also set standards of practice, monitor physician performance for quality assurance, and respond to complaints from the public and discipline physicians when necessary. Having adequate medical liability protection is generally a requirement of licensure. A physician’s licence can be suspended or revoked if they don’t obtain adequate protection.
CMPA is not a regulatory body. We provide medico-legal support, advice, and medical liability protection. Oversight of physician practice and professional conduct is the responsibility of the medical regulatory authorities (e.g. Colleges), which operate independently as part of Canada’s system of physician self-regulation.
For more information about Colleges, see Medical regulatory authorities (Colleges).
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Canada's approach to medical liability protection is unique. As a result of arrangements negotiated by provincial and territorial medical associations with governments, many physicians are eligible for reimbursement for all or a portion of their medical liability protection costs. This approach, through which provincial and territorial governments directly acknowledge the inherent value of, and need for, adequate liability protection, has benefited Canadians since being introduced more than 20 years ago.
CMPA does not negotiate fee reimbursement for physicians. For more information on the reimbursement of your medical liability protection fees and to learn if you are eligible, please contact the medical association in your province or territory of work.
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