Expand private-sector participation
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to commission a comprehensive study and table a parliamentary report on expanding private-sector participation, patient choice, mixed delivery, and private insurance within Canada’s single‑payer healthcare system.
Why we would sign this petition
- Could identify ways private delivery might increase capacity and cut wait times, improving timely access for patients.
- May show whether private participation and competition could raise wages, aid recruitment and retain healthcare workers.
- A formal study and parliamentary report would provide evidence from international models and outline options to expand capacity while aiming to protect universal access.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Private involvement may risk creating two-tier access or undermining universality, risks the study might not fully address.
- Expanding private options might divert public funding, staff and investment away from public hospitals, worsening public wait times.
- A study could delay urgent reforms; resources might be better spent directly increasing public capacity, staffing and operational improvements.
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 Government of Canada Canada’s single-payer healthcare system faces long wait times, overcrowded emergency rooms, and healthcare worker shortages, with 23,746 people dying while waiting for surgeries in one year, and Ontario spent $212 million in one year sending patients to U.S. medical centres; Canada already relies on privately delivered care in family medicine, diagnostics, long-term care, dental, vision, and other services; however, federal and provincial rules restrict private payment, insurance, competition, and patient choice for many medically necessary services; Private-sector participation could increase capacity, reduce wait times, attract investment, modernize facilities, and improve working conditions for healthcare workers, and many peer countries with universal healthcare allow mixed public-private models while maintaining public coverage; and The federal government administers the Canada Health Act and provides major health transfers to provinces. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Undertake a comprehensive study on expanding private-sector participation, patient choice, mixed delivery, and private insurance in Canada’s healthcare system; 2. Examine international universal healthcare models that include private delivery, private insurance, or mixed options; 3. Assess whether greater competition and private-sector participation could improve wages, recruitment, retention, and working conditions for healthcare workers; and 4. Table a report in Parliament outlining options to reduce wait times, increase capacity, protect universal access, and improve healthcare outcomes for Canadians.
Government response
No government response is available yet.