Address family doctor shortage
Petitioners ask the House of Commons to work with provincial and territorial governments to develop a holistic, equitable national plan to reduce the shortage of family physicians and improve access to primary care.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would create a coordinated federal–provincial approach to increase the number of family physicians and reduce the roughly 4.8 million Canadians without a regular doctor.
- It could address the urban–rural imbalance by supporting policies to encourage more physicians to practise in underserved rural regions.
- A national, equitable plan could lower long wait times at walk‑in clinics and improve timely access to primary care.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Health care delivery is provincially regulated, so federal coordination may have limited authority or face jurisdictional barriers.
- The petition does not specify concrete measures, timelines, or funding, leaving implementation and effectiveness unclear.
- A single national plan risks applying uniform solutions that may not suit local needs or differing provincial contexts.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED Whereas: Statistics Canada cites that approximately 4.8 million Canadians do not have a regular doctor; Despite the number of physicians in Canada growing, the number of Canadians without a regular doctor remains stable; 92 per cent of physicians work in urban centres, while just 8 per cent work in rural areas; and, In Victoria and Sidney, B.C., average wait time for a walk-in clinic are 92 and 180 minutes respectively, We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to: Work with all the provinces and territories in Canada to come to a holistic and fair solution to Canada's family doctor shortage
Government response
No government response is available yet.