The Saudi-Canada Crisis Will Damage People’s Health
How an international spat over human rights will exacerbate Canada’s doctor shortage
It’s been less than a week since Canada urged Saudi Arabia to release peaceful human-rights activists held in detention, but already the kingdom has responded with several aggressive moves. It expelled the Canadian ambassador, summoned its own ambassador back home, froze all new trade and investments with Canada, suspended flights to and from Toronto, and recalled about 16,000 Saudi students. The kingdom also decided to transfer Saudi patients in Canadian hospitals to other countries, and ordered Saudi medical residents currently in Canada to leave the country.
