Our collapsing healthcare system has become a major concern of Canadians in recent years, and deservedly so. Our wait times get longer and longer, we hear regularly of emergency room closures in hospitals, about six million Canadians do not have a regular primary healthcare provider and horrific stories of Canadians who died waiting for care are frequently in the news. Yet many politicians and average Canadians still cling to our broken model of most primary care being provided by the public sector despite its many failures.
A recent study by the Fraser Institute compared healthcare in Canada versus Switzerland and found massive differences despite the fact that both countries have universal coverage and spend about the same amount per capita on healthcare. Many defenders of our current lacklustre system in Canada keep claiming that all we need to do in Canada to improve things is to spend more money. Switzerland proves that is not the case.
For starters, Switzerland has 65 per cent more doctors than Canada with much shorter wait times, despite comparable spending. In Canada, wait times have increased to a record of over 30 weeks on average in 2024. In Switzerland, over 85 per cent of patients wait less than two months for a specialist appointment, as compared to 48 per cent in Canada. Virtually all primary care funding comes from government in Canada, compared to 32 per cent in Switzerland.
The Fraser study also found that patient satisfaction levels were an amazing 94 per cent in Switzerland versus 56 per cent in Canada. Switzerland also ensures universal coverage through 44 private sector, not-for-profit insurers who compete for business and are therefore more efficient than government. Citizens are free to choose which insurer is most appropriate for them. If that wasn’t enough, Swiss insurance coverage is actually broader than Canada’s, and includes outpatient care, mental health, prescriptions, home care and long-term care. Patients do share some costs, but exceptions are made for low-income people, the chronically ill and children so that no one is left out because of costs.
Of course, the Liberals’ out-of-control immigration policy has also had a major negative impact on healthcare as well as other social services. Ridiculously lax immigration means that people who have never paid a dime in taxes in Canada have the same access to healthcare as someone who has paid into the system their entire lives. Doesn’t seem quite right, does it?
The current Liberal government keeps claiming they are reducing immigration, yet in the first four months of 2025 fully 817,000 immigrants came to Canada, about half of which were temporary foreign workers who are shutting young Canadians out of the summer job market. It sure doesn’t seem like much reduction of immigration is happening. The fact that Carney has appointed supporters of the goal of Canada reaching 100 million in population by the end of this century to his senior team also does not inspire confidence that our immigration system will become sensible anytime soon.
The Swiss comparison shows that universal healthcare can be provided with much better results at the same cost as we face in Canada. Many other countries also have universal systems that easily beat out Canada’s, some of which cost even less per capita. Defenders of our current system always use the US as a comparison, as the US system does not have a single payer feature, so their administration costs are sky-high. Despite the failings of the U.S. system, the quality of care and access to medical professionals is still much superior to Canada’s.
How many Canadians have to die or suffer life-changing disabilities because of delayed or absent healthcare before we smarten up and demand major structural change is such a vital area? And when will the politicians, left-leaning organizations, union leaders and others who believe the current system is just fine start to educate themselves and promote policies that are actually good for Canadians? It can’t come soon enough.
She has published numerous articles in journals, magazines & other media on issues such as free trade, finance, entrepreneurship & women business owners. Ms. Swift is a past President of the Empire Club of Canada, a former Director of the CD Howe Institute, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages, past President of the International Small Business Congress and current Director of the Fraser Institute. She was cited in 2003 & 2012 as one of the most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network & is a recipient of the Queen’s Silver & Gold Jubilee medals.
