04/02/2026
Alberta's Bill 11, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2), introduces a "dual practice" model that allows physicians to work in both the public system and the private-pay market at the same time. Critics warn that this effectively creates a two-tier health care system and risks undermining Canada's universal Medicare.
Universal Medicare in Canada is built on a simple promise: access to health care based on medical need, not ability to pay. Bill 11 threatens that principle by allowing private payments and expanded private insurance for medically necessary services.
Health experts and advocacy organizations across the country are warning that dual practice and private-pay systems do not reduce wait times. Instead, they pull doctors and nurses away from the public system — increasing wait lists for everyone else.
As Dr. Danyaal Raza of Canadian Doctors for Medicare puts it: "Silence in the face of this legislation is complicity."
If Alberta's model proceeds unchecked, it risks triggering a domino effect across Canada, with provinces pressured to adopt similar policies to retain physicians and compete with higher private-sector pay. There are also growing concerns that expanding private insurance for medically necessary care could open the door to large insurers, including American firms, entering Canada's health system.
Organizations across the country are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney, federal Health Minister Marjory Michel, and Liberal MPs to take action, urging the federal government to review Bill 11 and use all available powers under the Canada Health Act to protect the principles of universality and accessibility.
The message is clear: Canada's health care system must remain public, universal, and based on need, not ability to pay.
