A federal election campaign is underway for Canadians and as they prepare to head to the polls on April 28, health care is top of mind for many.
From the state of federal programs like dental and pharmacare to reducing hospital wait times, improving access to family doctors and fighting health misinformation, voters are looking to federal leaders for solutions to strengthen Canada’s health-care system.
Health care is mostly run by provinces and territories, but the federal government still has a big role to play. This includes funding and investments in doctors and nurses, explained Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association.
As the election approaches, Canada faces looming threats to its sovereignty and economy. Reimer pointed out that these economic threats are a concern not only for the financial system but also for the health-care system.
“While there’s this major threat to the income of Canadians, to the economy of Canadians, that also is a threat to health because we know that income is the number one determinant of health,” she told Global News.
“And the federal government has large roles to play in the health-care system, even though it is largely a provincial jurisdiction, because they are the largest funder of health care, and they also run several health-care systems of their own.”
She emphasized the importance of keeping health at the forefront of the election in the coming weeks and hopes to see key issues talked about by the political candidates.
So, what exactly can the federal government do to help?
Global News spoke with five experts to break down the biggest issues in health care today and what federal leaders can do to address them:
- Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association
- Valerie Grdisa, CEO of the Canadian Nurses Association
- Kate Mulligan, assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health
- Diane Francoeur, CEO of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC)
- Alexander Caudarella, CEO of the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA)
Here’s what they said.
Across Canada, finding a family doctor or primary care provider has become increasingly difficult.
Around 6.5 million Canadians don’t have a regular family doctor, forcing many to rely on walk-in clinics or overcrowded emergency rooms.
Experts say this primary care crisis should be a top priority for federal leaders in this election.
The country is short 23,000 family physicians, a gap that continues to grow, according to a recent Health Canada study.
“Access to care is the number one concern that we’re hearing from Canadians,” Reimer said. “And so we want all levels of government to be focused on how to improve access.”
While health care is largely a provincial responsibility, Reimer argues that Ottawa can help address this crisis in several ways, including increasing medical school class sizes, making it easier for internationally trained doctors to work in Canada and recruiting doctors from other countries, including the United States.
“That’s a big role for the federal government — to bring in physicians from other countries who want to work and contribute here,” Reimer said.
Beyond doctor shortages, she also stresses the importance of team-based care, where family doctors work alongside nurses, pharmacists, social workers and dietitians to provide more comprehensive and accessible health care.
As the federal election approaches, she hopes to hear clear commitments from political leaders on how they plan to improve access to primary care.
“Canadians tell us they need a family doctor. They need that ongoing care. And that is really important—not only to deal with health issues we already have but to prevent future ones,” she said.
Valerie Grdisa, CEO of the Canadian Nurses Association, made the case for better using nurse practitioners to help address Canada’s ongoing health-care crisis.
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In a conversation with Global News, she highlighted how they could play a bigger role in easing the burden on the system.
“We have over 10,000 nurse practitioners in Canada, with more than half of them in Ontario,” Grdisa explained. “But despite their proven track record of delivering high-quality, cost-effective care, they’re still not being used to their full potential.”
Beyond increasing the role of nurse practitioners, Grdisa stressed the need for better labour mobility to allow nurses to work across provinces more easily.
“People keep talking about a nursing shortage, but is it really a shortage? Or is it that we’re not valuing and optimizing the nurses we already have?” she asked.
Ultimately, Grdisa believes that the federal government can help drive change by using its health-care funding agreements to maximize the use of nurse practitioners.
By offering financial incentives, she said Ottawa can encourage provinces to adopt better models of care — ones that make full use of nurse practitioners.
In other words, if the provinces want federal health-care dollars, they might need to embrace models that maximize the potential of nurse practitioners, ensuring that Canadians aren’t waiting too long to see the right health-care provider.
“We shouldn’t be asking, ‘Does every Canadian need a family doctor?’” Grdisa said. “We should be asking, ‘Does every Canadian have access to the right health-care provider for their needs?’”
Amid growing concerns about the loneliness epidemic in Canada, which was amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, experts like Kate Mulligan, assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, are urging the federal government to focus on social prescribing.
Social prescribing, as Mulligan explains, is about connecting people to resources that improve their well-being, like community groups, arts programs or fitness activities.
“Social prescribing really reduces unnecessary health-care visits to emergency rooms and primary care,” she said, noting that it can lead to better outcomes for both patients and health-care providers.
With social isolation becoming a growing issue in Canada and around the world, Mulligan hopes to see the federal government take action by supporting and funding social prescribing initiatives nationwide.
Mulligan recommended that the federal government tackle social isolation and loneliness through the implementation of a national strategy, something other countries are starting to do.
For example, in 2018, the United Kingdom created a minister of loneliness to tackle social isolation in the country. And in May 2023, Japan’s parliament enacted into law a bill to promote measures for supporting people experiencing social isolation and loneliness.
While some pilot projects already exist on social prescribing, many are funded through philanthropic efforts rather than government support, she said.
Mulligan wants to see federal candidates not only discussing these issues on the campaign trail but also committing to real investment in these programs.
She suggests the government start by funding community connectors or “link workers” who can help people access the resources they need.
As Canada grapples with a worsening substance use crisis, experts are calling on the federal government to prioritize prevention and long-term solutions rather than quick fixes.
Alexander Caudarella, CEO of the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), spoke with Global News about how he wants to see the federal government take more of a collaborative, long-term approach to tackling the overdose crisis and substance use issues.
He emphasized that this isn’t a problem with a single solution — it requires co-ordination between federal, provincial and municipal governments, as well as community organizations.
Yet, he warns, the issue has become politicized rather than treated as a national health emergency.
“This crisis has been going on for a decade. We need to stop looking for a silver bullet and start treating it with the complexity it deserves,” Caudarella said. “This isn’t about one level of government solving it alone. We need a whole-of-government approach.”
Caudarella argues that Canada’s response has been too reactive, focused on treating people once they are already struggling, rather than investing in prevention.
He wants to see more support for evidence-based programs that can reduce substance use before it starts — such as school- and family-based interventions that help young people build coping skills and delay first-time drug use.
“I would like to see more focus on prevention,” he said. “It’s most cost-effective. It’s what communities are frequently most active in.”
Diane Francoeur, CEO of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC), is calling on politicians and the federal government to take a stronger stance in defending women’s health rights.
As reproductive rights face growing threats in the United States, Francoeur emphasized the urgency for Canadian leaders to protect and advance women’s health care.
“Women make up 50.9 per cent of the population,” Francoeur stated. “We need to ensure that their health is prioritized in this election. Right now, the conversation has been all about money, but investing in women’s health is an investment in the economy.”
Francoeur highlighted the importance of access to health care, particularly for reproductive services. With restrictions tightening south of the border, she warns that Canada cannot afford to become complacent.
“We don’t want to become the 51st state, and we don’t want to lose our rights like our American colleagues are facing now,” she stressed.
With the federal election approaching, Francoeur is hopeful that candidates will recognize the urgency of these issues.
“We don’t want to be forgotten,” she said. “It’s time for action, not just talk. Canadian women deserve better.”
On Monday, speaking to the media, Liberal Leader Mark Carney said he supports a woman’s right to choose an abortion and “will defend it as the Liberal party has defended it proudly and consistently.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has consistently called for improved access to abortion services.
In the 2022 Conservative leadership campaign, Pierre Poilievre said a government he led “would not introduce or pass legislation restricting abortion.”
Health misinformation is a growing threat, particularly in the digital age, where false narratives spread rapidly on social media.
Reimer highlighted the importance of federal involvement in countering misinformation to ensure Canadians have access to reliable, science-based health information.
“There are lies and so many pieces of false information online that are bombarding Canadians,” Reimer said. “The federal government has a big role to play, whether it’s through Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, or even politicians themselves, in being part of the solution.”
Misinformation can lead to vaccine hesitancy, distrust in the health-care system, and dangerous health choices. Reimer stressed that the government needs to actively promote accurate health information and regulate misleading content.
“Canadians deserve access to trustworthy information, and the government must take steps to ensure that happens,” she said.