Alberta’s Health Minister, Adriana LaGrange, has gone a step further and introduced new “dual practice” legislation. This new law allows physicians in the public health system to perform elective surgeries—such as hip and knee replacements—in private clinics. This plan addresses the chronic wait times for medical treatment across the country. For all that health spending, Canada has repeatedly ranked low on a number of measures compared to other peer countries. In a new study, Canada was ranked the worst for waiting times of any of 10 high-income countries. Shockingly, one in 10 Canadians can expect to wait more than one year to see a specialist.
LaGrange emphasized the need for a more efficient health care model, aligned with the principles of the Canada Health Act. “Now is the time to really look at, okay, how do we implement something that will work for Albertans, and hopefully will be something that will be replicated across Canada?” she stated during an interview with National Post.
Addressing Wait Times in Canada
Canada’s health care system is now being criticized as citizens increasingly wait months for treatment. LaGrange pointed out the frustration among Canadians, saying, “One thing I’ve heard again and again since taking this job is ‘it’s not working.’ We’re waiting way too long for the care we need.” The introduction of dual practice Going forward, the government views the introduction of dual practice as a solution to some of these pressures.
Even with all of the upside, LaGrange recognized the risks that can come with this model. She intends to work with provincial medical colleges to create robust guardrails. These steps will go a long way to prevent against the unintended consequences of allowing physicians to practice in public and private contexts simultaneously. “So right off the bat, we’ve said that any cancer surgery, any emergency surgery … will not be able to practice in a flexible capacity,” she noted.
The Debate on Private Care
While the discourse around dual practice has already divided the health community, Dr. Marisa Azad expressed concerns about resource allocation, stating, “There’s evidence that, when you take a model like this, you’re leaving the more complex procedures—for example, certain cancer surgeries—in the public system, which is going to bog down already limited time and resources.”
In addition, there have been concerns that this model would result in a siphoning of taxpayer resources into the private sector. Dr. Shawn Whatley remarked on the implications of this legislation, saying, “It will come down to the (Canada Health Act) interpretation letters. Government gets to define the exception. It is sovereign on this issue.”
LaGrange’s cognizance of these challenges has led her to pledge in working closely with medical professionals as the legislation moves forward. “People travel a lot and they go to other countries and ask why can’t we have this here?” she said, reflecting on changing attitudes toward private care in Canada.
Future Steps and Public Sentiment
As Alberta takes its first steps toward its new dual practice approach, the public reaction has been decidedly mixed. LaGrange feels that Canadians are starting to reconsider their knee-jerk reactions to private healthcare models. “If you look globally, there’s no perfect model, but we have to get to a better functioning model,” she asserted.
The health ministers who met in October were preparing for that first federal directive to come. This very significant and historic directive will not go into effect until April 1, 2026. Conversations focused on how each province could customize their province’s response to meet their unique health care requirements.
