CHARLOTTETOWN -- Community leaders in Prince Edward Island held up their provincial health cards Monday as they called on Ottawa to intervene over Alberta’s Bill 11, saying the law could have consequences well beyond that province. The P.E.I. chapter of the Canada Health Coalition organized a press conference in Charlottetown as part of a National Day of Action against Alberta’s Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2). It creates a dual-practice model that allows physicians to work in both the public and private systems at the same time. Some advocates say it could draw doctors away from small provinces. “If Alberta offers really great conditions and makes a sales pitch that’s irresistible, people will go,” said Mary Boyd, president of the P.E.I. Health Coalition. “Right now, doctors are having a tough time on P.E.I. and they’re trying to find ways to survive in their practice and have a life as well.” The president of the Prince Edward Island Nurses’ Union, Kim Sears, said research from countries including the U.K. and Ireland suggests dual practice can make private work more attractive to some because they’re able to earn more. “Doctors, nurses and health-care providers can’t be in two places at once,” Sears said. “It definitely will pull people and resources away from the public system.” The advocates add that could mean longer waits for patients who rely on publicly funded care. Supporters of the model, however, say allowing doctors to work in both systems can add capacity. One argument is that allowing mixed practice can help the public system retain physicians which can translate to shorter waits. “It makes that gap shorter. It makes it more accessible to regular people,” said Emmanuelle Faubert, an economist with the Montreal Economic Institute, and co-author of an article on the subject. She said mixed practice is common in a number of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries and some of the “best-performing health-care systems around the world.” A Norway study Faubert cited found mixed-practice doctors did not work fewer hours in public hospitals overall, but averaged additional hours in private care. “It is better to have it than none at all, because it does provide that flexibility,” Faubert said. She added the debate should focus less on whether the model should be implemented and more on how it’s implemented. In her article, the authors write about adequate guardrails. For example, in Germany, physicians contracted to treat patients covered by public health insurance are required to set aside a minimum number of hours per week for those patients. The Alberta Medical Association has also said any dual-practice framework must include safeguards to protect the publicly funded system, including clear conflict-of-interest rules and prioritization of resource allocation to medically necessary services through the public sector. Back at the press conference, some Islanders in attendance said they were worried. “I’m especially concerned about the precedent that it sets for creating American-style, two-tier health care,” said Chris Robinson, who said he formerly taught health economics at the University of Prince Edward Island. He said a universal, single-payer system also carries lower administrative costs than a more fragmented model with multiple insurers. The Canada Health Coalition is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Health Minister Marjorie Michel to intervene. A spokesperson for the federal health department told CTV News in an email that the government “will always protect the Canada Health Act and Canada’s universal health-care system.” The spokesperson added that Health Canada officials are engaging Alberta officials to better understand the various components and implications of Bill 11.
