Canadians from coast to coast are becoming increasingly disillusioned with their provincial healthcare systems, according to a recent Leger poll.
More than half of Canadians, 53%, think that the healthcare system in their province is poor, an increase of 10% compared to Jan. 2023.
While 44% of Canadians said that the healthcare system in their province was good, only 4% believed it was “very good.”
The results follow Canadians waiting longer than ever to see a healthcare specialist and receive treatment in 2023, according to a Fraser Institute report.
“Despite provincial strategies to reduce wait times and high levels of expenditure on healthcare, it is clear that patients in Canada wait too long to receive medically necessary treatment,” concluded the Fraser Institute report.
Ontarians were the most likely Canadians to say that their provincial healthcare system was good, with half holding that belief. Conversely, Atlantic Canadians felt their provincial healthcare was the worst, with 70% of them saying it was poor.
Women expressed greater concerns with provincial healthcare than men.
While just over half of Canadians felt that their provincial healthcare was poor, 85% said that they were worried about the state of the healthcare system in their province. According to the poll, 70% of Canadians agree that accessing healthcare in their province is difficult. Another 69% say they worry that they will not receive good care if they need to go to the emergency room.
According to a previous survey, Canada’s healthcare system ranked among the lowest of 30 high-income countries with universal healthcare despite being one of the most expensive.
Leger’s poll showed that 71% of Canadians feel their provinces don’t spend enough on the healthcare system.
However, despite record spending in healthcare and education in British Columbia, performance in both sectors decreased between 2016 and 2023.
Healthcare leaders warned that the capital gains tax hike from the Liberals’ 2024 federal budget will result in an exodus of healthcare professionals from Canada.
Between 1997 and 2023, public healthcare insurance costs increased by 234%.
Despite the rising cost, only 25% of Canadians polled by Leger were open to the idea of privatization.
A previous initiative implemented by the Saskatchewan government of outsourcing publicly funded medical work to private clinics reduced wait times by 47% between 2010 and 2014.
