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Backing emergency doctors' decision to leave the broken system

Published July 28, 2026 at 8:32 AM UTC

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Emergency physicians are not abandoning their patients lightly, argue supporters of the CMAJ study findings. They are responding rationally to a system that has failed them. Long shifts, chronic understaffing, and lack of mental health support have made the job untenable. The doctors who are leaving are making a personal choice to preserve their own health and to send a clear signal that the system cannot continue as is. Forcing doctors to stay under these conditions would risk patient safety and worsen the burnout epidemic. Backing the decision to leave is a call for urgent structural reforms, not a condemnation of individual physicians. The message to governments is clear: invest in emergency care infrastructure, reduce administrative burdens, and provide better mental wellness programs. In the meantime, those who leave are exercising a right to a sustainable career. Their departure may temporarily strain the system, but it also creates the political pressure needed for lasting change. As Dr. Calder noted, the status quo is unsustainable, and pretending otherwise only delays the inevitable overhaul that Canada's ERs need.