Alberta’s Bill 11 ‘worst attack on public universal health care’: health care advocates

‘If Bill 11 goes unchallenged, that is Mark Carney’s decision. That will be his legacy.’

Alberta’s Bill 11 ‘worst attack on public universal health care’: health care advocates Published 2:00 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2026 National and Alberta health care advocates are demanding Prime Minster Mark Carney and federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel enforce the Canada Health Act with only seven weeks left before Alberta rolls out its dual practice model for doctors. Under Bill 11, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, Alberta will allow physicians to perform both publicly funded and privately paid surgeries which critics say creates a two-tier system and permits extra billing and user charges.

“Our legal opinion of Bill 11 is that it’s a clear violation of the Canada Health Act, and the worst attack on public universal health care that we’ve seen since the passage of the act in 1984,” said Jason MacLean, Canadian Health Coalition chair, at a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday along side representatives from the Canadian Medical Association, Alberta’s Friends of Medicare, Canadian Doctors for Medicare, and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. He said the 194-day Cambie Surgeries Corporation v. British Columbia trial trial in 2020 already proved the impact of dual practice on wait time and access.

“Dual practice, or two-tier medicare, or queue jumping, basically means this: Albertans who are on a waiting list for medically necessary care will be told by their doctors, when they finally see them, you can pay me thousands of dollars now to get your surgery in the next month, or you can go back on the public waiting list.” He said Premier Danielle Smith and Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange are just trying to distract people with talk of guard rails and regulations for Bill 11, meanwhile private-for-profit health care supporters push forward on Alberta’s two-tier health care scheme.

The coalition is calling on the prime minister and federal health minister to notify Alberta that Ottawa intends to deduct federal health transfer payments for extra billing under Section 20 of the Canada Health Act, and to open formal consultations under Section 14 through a ministerial notice of concern, or letter of warning, over Bill 11’s failure to meet the act’s core requirements of accessibility, universality and comprehensiveness. “Minister Michel cannot do this alone. Withholding health transfers under the Canada Health Act ultimately requires cabinet, and the prime minister chairs cabinet.

If Bill 11 goes unchallenged, that is Mark Carney’s decision. That will be his legacy,” MacLean said. He said the Oct. 19 referendum is only three months away and if the prime minister enforces the Canada Health Act, he will show exactly what staying in Canada delivers for Albertans.

“They deserve to know that the federal government will stand up for Albertans, ensuring that they have the same protections under the Canada Health Act as every other Canadian in other provinces, and that the federal government will fight for them,” MacLean said. Chris Gallaway, Friends of Medicare executive director, said Alberta’s government is moving full-steam ahead with American-style health care while the federal government has remained silent in the seven months since Bill 11 was passed. “This is a wholesale violation of the Canada Health Act.

Regardless of whether Alberta implements some more regulations before September that they promised, it will not change that fact,” Gallaway said. “There’s a premier’s meeting happening in P.E.I. next week. What a perfect time for our federal government to step forward with clarity on how they see the Canada Health Act, with how they see Canada’s health care moving forward and show some leadership on solving the issues in our public health care system.”

LaGrange has previously said that under Alberta’s dual practice model no one will be denied access to the services they need because of an inability to pay, and that Alberta will continue to fully comply with the Canada Health Act.