More than 3.2 million Canadians are stuck on waitlists for surgeries, diagnostic scans, and specialist appointments.
Canada’s healthcare system is facing an unprecedented crisis. According to a new report from Canadian think tank SecondStreet, more than 3.2 million Canadians are currently waiting for essential medical care, including surgeries, diagnostic scans, and specialist appointments. In some provinces, wait times are worsening, leaving patients without timely access to the treatment they need.
Waitlists and Delays Across Canada
While provinces have poured record amounts of money into reducing wait times, improvements have been minimal.
“Despite record health spending by provincial governments to reduce wait times, improvements to waiting lists have been quite sluggish,”
said Harrison Fleming, Legislative and Policy Director at SecondStreet.org.
The actual number of Canadians waiting for care may be even higher than reported. SecondStreet’s data excludes Yukon and Prince Edward Island, meaning the real figure could be closer to 5.1 million people—about one in eight Canadians.
Here’s how different provinces are faring:
- Saskatchewan: Surgical waitlists have dropped 22%, and diagnostic scan waitlists fell 11% since the pandemic.
- Ontario: Surgical waitlist volumes decreased 19%, but waitlists for diagnostic scans increased 32%.
- Quebec: Diagnostic waitlists dropped 42%, but surgical waitlists increased by 4%.
- British Columbia: Surgical waitlist volumes increased 10%, with over 204,000 patients waiting for MRIs, CT scans, and other procedures.
- Alberta: Surgical and diagnostic waitlists grew by 4% and 3%, respectively, leaving nearly 200,000 Albertans waiting for care.
- Manitoba: Waitlists for surgeries and diagnostic scans jumped 16%, reaching a total of 76,021 patients.
The Maritime provinces provided limited data, with Newfoundland reporting a 31% drop in diagnostic waitlists and Nova Scotia seeing a 33.5% decrease in surgical wait times. Meanwhile, New Brunswick reported only a 2% increase in surgery wait times.
What’s Causing the Crisis?
Long wait times have plagued Canada’s healthcare system for years, but experts say the situation has worsened due to staffing shortages and inefficient policies.
In May, reports revealed that Ontario will need 33,200 more nurses and 50,853 more personal support workers by 2032 to address ongoing shortages. The province initially attempted to keep these figures confidential, but the data eventually became public.
The issue isn’t confined to Ontario. In February 2024, Health Canada reported a national shortage of nearly 90,000 healthcare workers, a figure that has doubled since 2020.
One of the most contentious factors contributing to staffing shortages was the implementation of COVID vaccine mandates for healthcare workers. While official numbers remain unclear, some experts estimate that vaccine policies led to as many as 10% of Ontario nurses quitting or retiring early.
Raphael Gomez, Director of the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Relations at the University of Toronto spoke to CTV News about the issue, saying that the mandates were meant to protect patients, but they drove thousands of skilled professionals out of the system.
The Consequences for Patients
With average wait times now reaching 27.7 weeks, some Canadians are facing devastating choices. Unable to receive timely medical care, some have opted for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) rather than endure prolonged suffering.
In multiple cases, Canadians who refused euthanasia reported being pressured by their healthcare providers to reconsider their decision. Some were even called “selfish” for choosing to wait for treatment instead.
What Needs to Change?
Experts argue that simply increasing healthcare funding isn’t enough—the system needs structural reform.
“Copying policies that work well in universal systems in Europe could help,” Fleming suggested, referring to hybrid models that incorporate both public and private care options.
If Canada fails to address these issues, the situation is likely to deteriorate further, leaving millions more struggling to access the healthcare they need.
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From LifeSite