Trudeau dismisses plea from doctors to reconsider capital gains tax change

Speaking at Wanuskewin Heritage Park near Saskatoon Tuesday, Trudeau said the tax hike presented in the federal budget only asks "the wealthiest to pay a little bit more."

12 hours agoCanadian Medical Association president Dr. Kathleen Ross tells Power & Politics that she fears changes to the capital gains tax will make recruitment and retention of physicians more difficult at ‘a time where the health force is beleaguered, mothballed and really struggling to deliver on services to Canadians.’

A capital gain is the difference between the cost of an asset — a cottage, an investment property, a stock or a mutual fund — and its total sale price.

The statement says that the tax increase undermines the well-being of doctors and "jeopardizes the stability of our struggling health-care system" at a time when physicians are already leaving the profession or reducing their hours.

Jessica Brandon-Jepp, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's senior director of fiscal and financial services policy, said the capital gains hike could affect growth.

"These changes are in addition to the $200 billion we are investing in health care and the enhanced forgiveness of student loans for doctors and nurses wanting to work in rural and remote areas," Katherine Cuplinskas said.