national day of action for public health care

The New Brunswick Health Coalition is joining other provinces in the National Day of Action for Public Health Care. The focus of this year’s national day is upon Alberta.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government adopted the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No.2) last year, which allows Alberta doctors to offer dual practice services. This means that doctors are allowed to work both in the public sector, as covered by Canada’s health care system, as well as the private sector, which would permit charging patients for medical services.

According to Jean-Claude Basque, co-chair of the N.B. Health Coalition, the adoption abandons the single payer model of Canada’s Medicare.

“It abandons one of the principles of Medicare. Each of us have equal access to healthcare and it is based on our health needs and not on our pocketbook,” said Basque.

“The legislation permits patients with money to jump the queue and receive health services before others. The legislation will also drain key personnel, such as surgeons, anesthetists, and nurses, from the public system as they move to the private system,” said Renée Boudreau, co-chair of the N.B. Health Coalition.

Basque says the legislation opens the door to private insurance in Alberta, which he thinks could weaken Medicare support if other provinces follow suit. The consequences could also affect free trade.

“Right now, health is protected, but if Alberta is opening to private health companies, U.S. companies are going to be interested in accessing that new market. I am sure that Trump will bring that into the free trade discussion,” Basque said. “It is not just what’s happening in Alberta, what the impact is going to have on other provinces, but also on our negotiations with the United States.”

Basque says the concern from health coalitions across the country comes from the Carney government not taking this change to healthcare seriously.

“We want the federal government to conduct a formal Canada Health Act compliance review of what is happening in Alberta. We also want the Alberta government to put on pause its implementation [of the Act],” Basque said.

Sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney, which the N.B. Health Coalition signed and endorsed, the Canadian Doctors for Medicare wrote a joint letter regarding passage of Alberta’s Health Statutes Amendment Act.

Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicine Dr. Melanie Bechard authored the two-page letter, who wrote that, “turning Medicare into a marketplace experiment risks destabilizing an essential service that is core to Canadian identity and to the health and well-being of everyone living in Canada.”

“As Prime Minister, you have a responsibility to uphold the Canada Health Act and protect equitable access to care for all Canadians, regardless of jurisdiction. We therefore call on your government to conduct a formal Canada Health Act compliance review of Alberta’s Health Statutes Amendment Act, urge the Government of Alberta to pause implementation of the Act while its impacts are assessed by Health Canada’s legal team and independent national experts, and to use full range of federal tools available, including discretionary penalties permitted under the CHA (Canada Health Act).”

The Health Statutes Amendment Act No. 2 (2025), or Bill 11, was adopted on Nov. 24, 2025.