The passing thought of moving to Canada from the United States because of its political climate became an active idea for physician Libby Fleming when, in 2022, the constitutional right to abortion was overturned south of the border.
She had a planned trip to Costa Rica later that summer but cancelled it, booking a plane ticket to Nova Scotia instead. The Atlantic province was a bucket-list destination for her. It was also actively recruiting foreign physicians to address a country-wide shortage of doctors.
"I was kind of hoping that I wouldn't like it because it was a crazy idea to move. But from the moment I landed, I loved it. It felt like home," said Dr. Fleming, who, at the time, ran a solo practice near Pittsburgh, Penn.