private healthcare public staffing shortages system

Expanding private healthcare will only worsen staffing shortages in the public system

Provinces should focus their efforts — and billions of dollars in additional federal funding — to create a more functional public healthcare system, not a two-tiered model with more privatization.

A new study by the Angus Reid Institute has examined Canadians’ perceptions of private vs. public healthcare in Canada. The study found that 68% of Canadians, including 76% of Quebecers, believe that expanding the private healthcare system will worsen staffing shortages in public healthcare.

A long-predicted shortage of healthcare workers in Canada has been exacerbated across the country by the COVID-19 pandemic, to the point where some emergency rooms were forced to close temporarily in the fall of 2022.

“As the federal government holds one-on-one meetings with the country’s premiers to hash out the details of a $46-billion injection of funds into Canada’s health system, the debate over privatization continues with some jurisdictions increasingly exploring private care options as the new money becomes within reach.”

“68% of Canadians are worried that expanding private care will only worsen staffing shortages, which have plagued the country’s healthcare system in recent years. Evidently, many would like to see their own public system improved, with adequate staffing and investment levels.”

With billions of dollars in additional federal funding, the provinces should focus their efforts on creating the more functional public healthcare system that Canadians need, not a two-tiered model with increased privatization.

Expanding private healthcare will only worsen staffing shortages in the public system

The study also found that 3 in 4 Quebecers believe low-income families will suffer if healthcare privatization increases.


For our latest in news, please visit the News section.