Federal Policies Are Fuelling Canada’s Doctor Shortage

Commentary Canada already has a severe shortage of doctors, but recent federal government policy failures—even those seemingly having nothing to do with health care—are making things worse. To begin, despite spending relatively more on health care than other developed countries with universal health-care systems, Canada ranks near the bottom in terms of physicians per capita. Wait times for medical care are steadily rising and an estimated 6.5 million Canadian adults did not have a family doctor as of 2022, up sharply from 4.5 million in 2019, and with some analysts estimating it may reach 10 million in a few years. So, what recent federal government failures, even outside health-care policy, are making the doctor shortage even worse?...