WEST HANTS, N.S. — A Liberal government would forgive student debt on federal loans to attract more health-care workers to rural Canada, party leader Michael Ignatieff promised Friday.

The Opposition leader appeared at a health centre in a scenic Nova Scotia community to announce the plan in what had the feel of a campaign-style event.

Ignatieff told a small gathering he would forgive up to $20,000 of student debt on loans for incoming doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners who choose to work in rural communities designated as being underserved.

He said professional shortages in the health care sector was simply one of many issues illustrating a "fissure growing between rural and urban Canada."

"It's a serious commitment to improve rural health service in Canada," said Ignatieff, standing at a podium outside the facility near the shores of the Minas Basin.

"We want to encourage and find ways to help rural Canadians enrol in medical schools. We want to help find new doctors and nurses to get employment for their spouses in communities that need doctors."

Ignatieff said the initiative would cost $30 million and help attract and retain more than 1,500 new health professionals annually. He said the government would work with the provinces and territories to forgive $5,000 a year in student loans for up to four years.

He said an equitable share of the funds would be applied toward regional health needs in Quebec because that province isn't part of the Canada Students Loans Program.

Jim Leahy, a general practitioner from nearby Windsor, N.S., called the plan a "good first step" to help address chronic shortages of professionals and services in rural areas.

"Anything that puts emphasis on rural communities is important," said Leahy.

But he said one of the growing problems preventing young doctors and their families from moving to rural areas is the ability to find employment for their spouses.

"I think that's one of the biggest issues on the board," he said. "It's all about lifestyle."

The Liberals say while 20 per cent of Canadians live in rural areas, only 10 per cent of Canada's doctors practise there.

Ignatieff said the announcement was the first of a series of policy positions he would unveil aimed at bridging disparities between rural and urban Canada.

He said the Liberals would pay for the initiative and others by forgoing corporate tax cuts.

"We've got the deficit and we think if we freeze corporate tax reductions, we get the revenue to make a few targeted investments," he said.