Premier Danielle Smith wants to let doctors work in both the public and private systems at the same time. She has just introduced legislation to showcase this.
No Canadian province has ever done this. It creates a private fast lane for people who pay and leaves everyone else waiting longer in a weaker public system.
This is what happens: Dual practice shifts doctors toward private clinics where earnings are higher and conditions are easier. Public wait times grow. Families pay more. Governments can then count every private visit as a “saving,” even as the public system suffers.
Smith touts successes in other countries. But the actual results from those same countries are not good:
Italy: Private waits average about 6 days. Public waits average about 67 days. People who pay get care almost eleven times faster.
Portugal: Public waits for surgeries doubled. Complaints rose about 50 percent. More people skipped care due to cost.
Japan: Over 80 percent private hospitals. Fragmented care. Staff shortages. The highest doctor visit rate in the developed world as patients shop around.
Greece: Years of dual practice drained staff from public hospitals. Waits stretched into months.
These systems also prove something important: Exhausted doctors do not “work more.” They choose higher paying private work. That drains staff from public care. That slows care for everyone else down.
Two tier care fails everywhere it is tried.
Waits grow
Staff drain into private clinics
Inequality rises
Total costs increase
Public care becomes the slow lane
Essentially, everyone but the super-wealthy gets reduced access and longer wait times.
Americans show the final outcome of private care. Once premiums, co-pays, and fees are counted, they pay more in taxes and private health care costs combined than Canadians pay in taxes that include healthcare.
We have a better option. Universal public healthcare. When funded, it works. It delivers fair access, stronger equity, and better outcomes.
We built it once. We can rebuild it again.
Stop Premier Smith’s push for two tier care. Defend universal public healthcare. Sign the petition and send your letter now.
It is a single payer system. One public system for everyone. Your health card is your access. No fast track for people who pay. No private lane that drains staff. One coordinated system that delivers care based on need, not income.
When funded properly, universal care delivers better equity, better outcomes, fewer financial barriers, and a stronger workforce. It keeps doctors in the public system and gives everyone access based on need.
It allows doctors to work in the public system and in private clinics at the same time. This creates two tracks: faster care for those who can afford to pay hundreds per appointment, slower care for everyone else.
Doctors shift hours into private clinics where pay is higher. That drains staff from public hospitals and reduces capacity. Waits grow for everyone except the rich and wealthy who pay.
No. Research from Italy, Portugal, and Greece (countries Premier Smith cites as successes) shows that doctors choose the higher paying private lane. They do not add more hours. The public system loses staff.
When people pay privately, governments spend less on that person’s care. They record that as a saving even though the public system becomes weaker and costs for families go up. When you add the cost of private doctor visits and treatments to what you pay in taxes now, you will pay a lot more. The only savings come from providing worse care to those who can’t afford private care.
No. Countries with two tier systems have higher total spending. Americans pay more in taxes once premiums and private fees are counted.
If Alberta opens private fast lanes, other provinces will follow. Universal care weakens across the country.
Why I'm Supporting...
zoie m
I am supporting this petition because I am completely against any changes to our current health care system which ensures health care for all. It is the most efficient system.
peggy d
medicine hat, AB
I am supporting this because it creates more inequality and wait times are long enough right now.
heather m
lethbridge, AB
I’ve worked in the US and saw first hand what private healthcare does and it did not save money or improve people’s health. It put more money into the pockets of rich doctors and healthcare organizations. People who had cancer or a stroke would lose their homes and life savings, it was awful to witness. I could see how poor people got even more unwell as they didn’t have the money to pay into their expensive system. One lady with diabetes went blind and was in renal failure as she couldn’t afford to access proper care. Just plain awful.
jackie m
I don’t want my parents, living in a rural community, waiting even longer for proper care.
alice z
calgary, AB
I don’t want to end up in a situation like in the U.S., where people often worry about medical bills and may not be able to access the best care because private healthcare is too expensive. If government doesn’t have a full plan, don’t play with our healthy care!!
kay j
calgary, AB
I do not want you to destroy universal healthcare. If you want two tiered HC Go live in the Un-united states—-
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Defend universal public healthcare. Sign the petition and send your letter now.
Sign Upcolin t
calgary, AB
We need to keep doctors in the public system as we do not have enough already; this is the opposite way we need to go, given the doctor shortage.
liam h
st. albert, AB
Privatization will make access more difficult and expensive, only the insurance companies and corporations will benefit. This government should follow the will of the constituents and invest fully in fixing the public health system, supporting all Albertans.
linda g
edmonton, AB
I’m supporting our public healthcare system.. I don’t believe in privatization of our healthcare
tanya p
lethbridge, AB
Healthcare is a basic right, not something that should change with your income level.
maurice d
chestermere, AB
This is leading to an American style medical care system, which will lead to a two tier system , which is contrary to the Canadian Health Act.
lynn b
edmonton, AB
I'm supporting because this is a dangerous move which will further erode access to public health care for the average Albertan.
Sign the Petition
Stop Premier Danielle Smith’s plan to introduce to-tier healthcare and end universal healthcare.
Add Your Namemona a
calgary, AB
Because the Universal Healthcare is necessary and highly important for all Canadians.
kenneth d
edmonton, AB
Universal healthcare is a human right and should be accessible to everyone, regardless of how much or how little money they have. I do not want to end up living in a system where one hospital stay would cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars.
sheila o
edmonton, AB
This will not solve the healthcare mess this government has intentionally created, all the evidence confirms this.
samara s
calgary, AB
This is a dangerous path to go down with a slippery slope. You could do real, irreversible harm to the public system and those requiring care within it.
christine d
camrose, AB
We already have slow access to healthcare unless you’re rich and can afford. Making two tiered is going to make more difficult for everyone that doesn’t have lots of money!
steven b
edmonton, AB
This is penalization of being poor. In which case should said changes happen would the Premier accept minimum wage & no benefits to serve the public? No one is worth more than anyone else in Canada.
Don't forget to sign up
Two-tier healthcare creates a private fast lane for people who pay and leaves everyone else waiting longer in a weaker public system.
Sign the petitionlise b
airdrie, AB
1. It pulls doctors and nurses out of the public system. When clinicians can earn more privately, they naturally shift their time and energy toward private clinics. This reduces staff availability in public hospitals and community care—where most people rely on timely access. 2. It leads to longer wait times in the public system. If the same workforce is split in two directions, public wait lists grow. Dual practice does not create new doctors; it simply redistributes the limited supply. This leaves everyday patients waiting longer for surgeries, diagnostics, and specialists. 3. It creates a two-tier system based on ability to pay. Dual practice opens the door to faster service for those who can afford private fees, while everyone else is pushed further back in the public queue. That undermines the core Canadian principle of access based on need, not income. 4. It increases overall health-care costs. Private clinics often charge more per service, and governments frequently end up paying higher blended costs. Administrative duplication also increases expenses. Over time, the public system becomes more strained and less efficient. 5. It risks “double billing” incentives. When physicians can earn both public and private income, the motivation can shift from patient need to financial gain. This blurs accountability and can weaken trust in the fairness of healthcare delivery. 6. It weakens universal care instead of strengthening it. Healthy public systems depend on stable staffing, sustained investment, and coordinated planning. Dual practice disrupts all three by encouraging parallel systems that compete for the same workforce. 7. It does not solve root causes like primary-care shortages. Alberta’s challenges are tied to recruitment, retention, family-doctor shortages, and chronic underfunding. Dual practice diverts attention from these real solutions and instead creates new pressures on hospitals and clinics. 8. It risks long-term erosion of public confidence. Once people see shorter waits and better amenities in private clinics, public support for investing in the shared system can weaken—making future underfunding more likely and deepening the cycle. 9. It benefits a small number of private operators, not the public. Dual practice tends to concentrate resources where profits can be made, rather than where community needs are highest. Rural and vulnerable populations are often the most harmed. 10. Universal Public Healthcare is still the most equitable, efficient model we have. Strengthening public investment—especially in primary care, home care, mental health, and staffing—provides better outcomes, lower long-term costs, and fairer access for everyone
carrie d
high river, AB
It's one step closer to full privatization of our healthcare system. This Premier is Americanizing our province.