Good points jnuts makes. I was focusing on return to Canada, not US Board eligibility. Based on this webpage (
Admission Requirements | The American Board of Pediatrics) looks like it would at least work for peds. Canadian residency must be RCPSC Accredited but no requirement for RCPSC Certification exams to be passed listed here. I suspect it would also work for a number of other Boards. Need to research it carefully.
I note the ABOS here
Certification | ABOS states for education prior to certification must "have successfully completed a five-year accredited orthopaedic residency program in the United States or Canada." No mention of RCPSC exam Certification being required here. Despite this, the document jnuts linked is quite clear that exam candidates "must have passed the certification examination in orthopaedic surgery of the Royal College before applying for either part of the ABOS’s Board Certification process." Wonder why the difference between the two linked