Canada Student Loan forgiveness program expansion
Good news from Budget 2024!
In the 2024 federal budget the government announced its intent to permanently expand the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness Program to include other health professionals working in rural and remote communities, including pharmacists. This is a big win for pharmacy! Huge thanks to everyone who participated in the campaign, and to CAPSI for their strong advocacy that helped make this a reality. Our partnership on the #PharmLoanForgive campaign resulted in hundreds of letters sent to elected officials calling for pharmacists to be included in the program expansion. And our voices were heard!
Background information
The Government of Canada offers Canada Student Loan forgiveness to eligible health-care professionals to relocate or return to a rural or remote community. The program benefits are currently limited to physicians and nurses. Pharmacists are not eligible.
Although the current Liberal government previously committed to expanding the program to other health professionals, including pharmacists, this change has yet to be made. Ahead of the 2024 federal budget, we worked with the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) to press for the inclusion of pharmacy graduates to the Canada Student Loan forgiveness program.
Debt load comparison
| University | PharmD Tuition (Annually) | MD Tuition (Annually) |
| University of British Columbia | $19,929.84 | $20,395.31 |
| University of Alberta | $17,131.52 | $15,565.92 |
| University of Saskatchewan | $19,895.00 | $20,246.00 |
| University of Manitoba | $15,811.54 | $11,395.70 |
| University of Waterloo | $25,545.00 | N/A |
| University of Toronto | $18,060.00 | $23,090.00 |
| Dalhousie University | $18,288.00 | $24,093.00 |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | $13,328.00 | $14,250.00 |