Canada’s family doctor shortage was engineered

To borrow a phrase from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos speech, Canadian politicians for generations posted a sign in the window no one believed.

It said: “Canada has the best health care system in the world.”

Canadians stopped believing that a long time ago.

A recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute found half of Canadians surveyed don’t have a family doctor or struggle to see the one they have, up from 40% a decade ago. ---More...

"In the early 1990s, provincial governments became convinced the best way to control medical costs was to cut the number of family doctors.

They got this idea from university academics — so-called health-care economists — whose flawed advice was an example of the dangers of relying on “experts” with little knowledge of front-line health care.

Despite warnings from Canada’s medical colleges that this would inevitably lead to a national doctor shortage, the provinces stalled funding, cut enrolments in medical schools and capped residences.

As predicted, that led to today’s doctor shortage, even as Canada’s aging population requires more care and the baby boom generation of doctors are retiring."

"In the early 1990s, provincial governments became convinced the best way to control medical costs was to cut the number of family doctors.

They got this idea from university academics — so-called health-care economists — whose flawed advice was an example of the dangers of… https://t.co/vfkQnbY4rfpic.twitter.com/uxUyGGdzsz

— cbcwatcher (@cbcwatcher) February 11, 2026