Saskatchewan Leads Canada in Pharmacist Supply and Workforce Growth

CANADA, November 4 - Released on November 3, 2026

New Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Data Shows Saskatchewan has the Highest Pharmacist Supply and Workforce Rates in the Country, Helping Improve Access to Care for Patients

Saskatchewan patients continue to benefit from the province's strong and steady pharmacy workforce, with new data from the CIHI showing Saskatchewan leads the nation in both pharmacist supply and pharmacist workforce rates.

According to CIHI's Pharmacists in Canada, 2025 publication, Saskatchewan's pharmacist supply grew by 16.9 per cent between 2016 and 2025, increasing from 1,554 to 1,816 pharmacists, while the pharmacist workforce grew by 17.6 per cent, increasing from 1,520 to 1,787. 

"Through our Patients First Health Care Plan, we are seeing more pharmacists choosing to practice in Saskatchewan and expand their scope of practice to provide a broader range of service directly to patients," Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. "Pharmacists play an important role in ensuring patients have access to the right care as close to home as possible. I want to thank Saskatchewan pharmacists for their ongoing commitment to improving access to patient care."

The new data also found that Saskatchewan recorded the highest pharmacist supply rate in Canada at 14.3 pharmacists per 10,000 population and the highest pharmacist workforce rate among jurisdictions with reportable 2025 workforce data at 14.1 pharmacists per 10,000 population. In addition, nearly 90 per cent of pharmacists practicing in Saskatchewan were trained in Canada.

Saskatchewan pharmacists currently operate under one of the broadest scopes of practice in Canada, allowing them to provide more services that improve patient access to care and provide additional capacity for other parts of the health system.

Recent initiatives include:

• supporting the long-term sustainability of community pharmacy services through a new three-year Pharmacy Proprietor Agreement that came into effect on May 1, 2026.
• The agreement includes a $13.8 million funding increase to support pharmacy sustainability, scope optimization and enhanced patient services.
• expanding pharmacists' ability to provide care by introducing new training in 2025 that allows pharmacists to substitute medications under specific conditions.
• Launching the Strep Throat and Ear Infection Services Program and allowing community pharmacists to assess and treat eligible patients.
• Since launch, the program has delivered more than 12,000 services across Saskatchewan.
• Building on this success, the program will expand to more than 100 pharmacies across the province by January 2027.

As of October 31, 2026, more than 300 pharmacists have been trained to offer strep and ear infection assessments and more than 400 pharmacists have been trained to perform therapeutic substitution services.

“This is good news, but there is still more work to be done,” Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan CEO Michael Fougere said. “As key primary health care professionals we need to continue to increase the primary care services pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can deliver to Saskatchewan residents, with a priority on moving quickly to build on the scope expansion, the Government of Saskatchewan has started with pharmacy professionals. To continue to build capacity in the health system, we also need to work on attracting and retaining pharmacy professionals in Saskatchewan. Pharmacy professionals want and can do more. We have to keep our eye on the ball to ensure we continue to attract pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to our province.”

Saskatchewan continues to support recruitment and retention of future pharmacists through targeted incentive programs. Pharmacy students may receive the Ministry of Health's $2,000 Final Clinical Placement Bursary in exchange for a one-year return-in-service commitment. 

Expanding scopes of practice for health care professionals is a key pillar of the Patients First Health Care Plan. The plan is focused on ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time, while making greater use of the skills and expertise of Saskatchewan's health care workforce.

The Patients First Health Care Plan continues to focus on improving access to care, strengthening the health workforce and improving patient outcomes.

For more information on the Patients First Health Care Plan, visit: www.saskatchewan.ca/patientsfirst.

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