Canadian Doctors for Medicare

Canadian Doctors for Medicare Providing a voice for Canadian doctors and friends who want to strengthen and improve Canada's universal publicly-funded health care system.

We advocate for innovations, and for an equitable, accessible, high-quality Medicare system.

10/06/2026

Fact: Physician dual practice drains resources away from the public system towards the private system. As Medicine Hat physician, Dr. Paul Parks (Paul Parks), explains, the result is a system where access to care is determined by ability to pay rather than need. If you agree with Dr. Parks that physician dual practice violates the spirit of the Canada Health Act, contact your federal MP today. Join us in calling the federal government to stand up for Canadian Medicare.

09/22/2026

Does Alberta’s new law permitting physician dual practice violate the Canada Health Act?

Like many Alberta physicians, Calgary based nephrologist and researcher Dr. Braden Manns is concerned about what physician dual practice will mean for equitable access to medically necessary care. Moreover, a formal legal opinion obtained by Canadian Health Coalition/Coalition Canadienne pour la Santé confirms the Alberta law violates the Canada Health Act. Join Dr. Manns and Canadian Doctors for Medicare in calling for the federal government to take action. Contact your federal MP today (find them at mymp.ca) and ask them to stand up for Canadian Medicare.

ICYMI: Emergency physicians, Dr. Thara Kumar (Red Deer, AB) and Dr. Bernard Ho (Toronto, ON) ask the federal government ...
09/06/2026

ICYMI: Emergency physicians, Dr. Thara Kumar (Red Deer, AB) and Dr. Bernard Ho (Toronto, ON) ask the federal government to “stand up” for Canadian Medicare.
See link in bio.

08/31/2026

What does private-pay diagnostic imaging mean for Northern communities? 🩻

Dr. Eleanor Crawford is a physician from Nunavut and a Board Member of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. She, like many other physicians up north, is concerned that for communities already facing limited access to health-care services, the impacts of a two-tiered system can extend beyond wait times. When health-care workers, equipment, and resources are limited, creating a parallel private system risks further widening existing geographic and socioeconomic inequities.

Health care access shouldn’t depend on where you live or what you can afford.
TwoTierHealthcare Medicare PublicHealthcare HealthPolicy CanadianHealthcare

Alberta’s two-tier health care law is becoming policy.Canadian Doctors for Medicare is calling on the federal government...
08/21/2026

Alberta’s two-tier health care law is becoming policy.

Canadian Doctors for Medicare is calling on the federal government to act now to protect equitable access to medically necessary care for everyone in Canada.

Alberta’s Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2) enables physicians to choose between billing the public system and charging patients directly for medically necessary services. We are concerned that this will:
• Undermine equitable access by making access increasingly dependent on ability to pay
• Contravene the Canada Health Act and its commitment to access on uniform terms and conditions
• Exacerbate workforce shortages in the publicly funded system through dual practice
• Set a dangerous national precedent for the future of Medicare across Canada

Guardrails are not enough. Evidence from jurisdictions that have permitted dual practice shows that parallel private-pay streams can draw capacity away from publicly funded care.

We are calling on the federal government to apply mandatory dollar-for-dollar deductions to the Canada Health Transfer, initiate a Section 14 notice of concern, and urge Alberta to pause implementation while the federal review is underway.

Medicare should be based on medical need, not ability to pay.

ICYMI: Read why University of Toronto Master of Public Health student, Esha Garrioch, and former Dean at the Cu***ng Sch...
08/12/2026

ICYMI: Read why University of Toronto Master of Public Health student, Esha Garrioch, and former Dean at the Cu***ng School of Medicine, Dr. Jon Meddings, say that Alberta’s new self-referral system for diagnostic imaging could “collapse” the public health-care system.

Link in bio.

07/17/2026

Alberta’s new legislation, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (no.2), breaks the Canada Health Act by permitting the dual practice of physicians in the public and private sector. This legislation will allow for a two-tier healthcare system in which the quality and timeliness of medical services depend on Albertan’s ability to pay for it.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Melanie Bechard, Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare spoke alongside Canadian Health Coalition/Coalition Canadienne pour la Santé, Friends of Medicare, Action Canada, and Goldblatt Partners LLP for the release of a new legal opinion and to urgently call on the federal government to take action and enforce the Canada Health Act.

Upon the release of the legislation’s new regulations, it appears there is nothing to stop the contravening of the infringements the upon accessibility and equity of the Canada Health Act.

We are urging federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel and Prime Minister Mark Carney to act now through dollar-for-dollar deductions and the initiation of section 14 of the Canada Health Act and stand against two-tiered health care.

To learn more, check out the link in our bio.

Let us be clear. There are proven, evidence-based solutions to the very real challenges our healthcare system is facing....
05/17/2026

Let us be clear. There are proven, evidence-based solutions to the very real challenges our healthcare system is facing. Alberta’s proposed two-tiered model is not one of them.

05/07/2026

ICYMI: CDM Board Chair and paediatric emergency physician, Dr. Melanie Bechard, spoke at a press conference on Parliament Hill earlier this week explaining why Alberta’s Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2), also known as Bill 11, violates the spirit of the Canada Health Act. The legislation is likely to worsen health workforce shortages, jeopardize equity in access to medically necessary care and sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of the country.

To learn more, check out the link in our bio.

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