Canadian Doctors for Medicare Calls on Federal Government to Enforce the Canada Health Act and Initiate Section 14 Following Alberta’s Dual Practice and Two-Tier Health Care Announcement
June 19, 2026 – Yesterday, Alberta’s Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Adriana LaGrange, announced the implementation of dual practice for physicians. Canadian Doctors for Medicare is calling out this blatant violation of the Canada Health Act and urging the federal Health Minister to immediately initiate Section 14 of the Canada Health Act and apply discretionary penalties, including withholding future health transfer payments from Alberta.
Minister LaGrange announced that dual practice will initially be allowed for surgical care, meaning patients will be able to pay privately (either out of pocket or via private duplicative insurance) to “jump the queue,” while surgeons will be able to move seamlessly, patient by patient, between the private pay and public pay systems through dual practice.
Alberta’s two-tier, multi-payer, health care law will not shorten waitlists for those who cannot pay. It would simply reshuffle them by pushing those who can pay to the front of the line. That means patients who cannot afford, or choose not to pay out of pocket, would be left waiting even longer.
Dual practice does not address the real problems in Alberta’s health care system because it does not add more health care professionals to the system or enable more organized and efficient care. Instead, physicians will be incentivized to spend more of their time treating lucrative private-pay patients.
Minister LaGrange has cited international best practices to defend Alberta’s decision, yet evidence from around the world shows that dual practice and private-pay health care are not solutions to wait times.
In Australia, the creation of a parallel private-pay system led to longer wait times for those who could not afford private-pay care. An analysis across several OECD countries similarly found that parallel private-pay systems do not effectively reduce wait times. Instead, these systems divert time and resources away from an already strained public system.
“This move will worsen access for the majority of Albertans by increasing wait times for those in the public system who cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars for surgical care,” said Dr. Melanie Bechard, Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. “The federal government must urgently enforce the Canada Health Act to stop two-tier, multi-payer, health care and protect Albertans from legislation that will have serious consequences for their health and well-being.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of Health Majorie Michel have an urgent duty to enforce the Canada Health Act so that patients across Alberta and Canada are protected from private charges for medically-necessary care.
“There are many solutions within the publicly funded system that Alberta could pursue,” said Dr. Danyaal Raza, Past-Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. “This move is not about improving access or reducing wait times. It is about introducing a US-style health care system that generates large profits for private insurance companies and private, for-profit, investor-owned clinics.”
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About Canadian Doctors for Medicare
Canadian Doctors for Medicare is a nationwide, evidence-based nonpartisan member organization dedicated to strengthening and preserving Canada’s publicly-funded health care system. We advocate for innovations in treatment and prevention services that are evidence-based and improve access, quality, equity, and sustainability.
For more information, please contact:
Zareef Ahmad
National Director, Canadian Doctors for Medicare
[email protected]