Tens of thousands of Canadians died waiting for medical care in the past year: report

A new report is raising alarm over growing wait-list deaths in Canada.

The report from public policy think tank SecondStreet.org revealed that at least 23,746 patients died in Canada while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic procedures between April 2024 and March 2025.

The figures are a three per cent increase from the previous year and push the total number of reported wait-list deaths since 2018 to more than 100,000.

The organization says the findings are based on freedom of information (FOI) requests summitted to more than 40 provincial and territorial health bodies.

The report warned that several jurisdictions provided only partial data, while Alberta and some parts of Manitoba provided none, meaning the true total is likely higher. ---More...

Welcome to CANADA ???????? where you can pay TAXES your whole life, and then DIE waiting for the healthcare you’ve already paid for ???? 23,000 Canadians waiting for care last year. It’s criminal pic.twitter.com/L5YuTU8SZQ

— Melissa ???????? (@MelissaLMRogers)November 26, 2025