QUESTION PERIOD — Health
Access to Health Care
March 10, 2026
Government leader, according to a recent report from the Fraser Institute, Canadians lost an average of $3,000.43 in wages due to hours missed from work while waiting for medical treatment in 2025. This estimate, Senator Moreau, is conservative as it does not account for the additional costs incurred by family members who must care for loved ones while they wait for treatment. At a time when Canadians are already struggling to make ends meet, many are now seeing their livelihoods further diminished simply to receive often life-saving medical care. What tangible relief can your government offer Canadians who are losing much-needed income while waiting for their treatment?
Let me give you a few numbers for family doctor access, for example. This is directly related to the question you’re asking.
Health care workers need support by getting more health workers into the system faster. The government, together with provinces and territories, is stepping up with close to $200 billion in direct health care funding to transform the health care system. This is one concrete step we are putting forward to ensure that Canadians have access to health care.
Regarding affordability and the economic situation of families, I answer questions on a daily basis about what the government is doing going forward to make things more affordable for Canadians all across the country.
There are over 1 million people without a family physician in B.C., and we actually have the longest medical wait times among the OECD countries with universal health care, so we are lagging behind all these countries. More than 1.3 million Canadians are waiting for a specialist consultation with an average wait time exceeding 13 weeks. This is completely unacceptable. Senator, what hope can you offer Canadians who are genuinely struggling and waiting for real relief and real leadership?
You know that health care is shared between the federal government and the provinces, and it’s not for the federal government alone to solve every problem across Canada concerning health and access to medical attention, but the government is spending more than ever before to make sure that Canadians have access to health treatment.
As far as affordability is concerned, I told you many solutions that the government is putting forward —
Thank you, Senator Moreau.
