Health coalitions across Canada are calling on the federal government to take action to protect the country’s public healthcare system as controversial legislation in Alberta takes effect today. The London Health Coalition is among groups participating in a National Day of Action Tuesday, with protesters gathering outside the London office of federal MP Arielle Kayabaga. The protests come as Alberta’s Bill 11, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2), takes effect. The legislation allows physicians to charge patients for medically necessary healthcare services while also billing the public healthcare system. It also opens the door to private, for-profit health insurance. Health coalitions across the country say the changes could lead to a two-tier healthcare system and are calling on the federal government to enforce the Canada Health Act. Peter Bergmanis with the London Health Coalition says the federal government has a responsibility to protect Canada’s public healthcare system. “The federal government is the guardian of our national healthcare system,” Bergmanis said. “We’re saying you have the right to enforce it. So, by that, start enforcing it.” Bergmanis says allowing for-profit health insurance in one province could lead to similar changes elsewhere, including Ontario. “If it opens up the for-profit health insurance industry in one province, it is inevitable that it will happen in other provinces, and in Ontario is poised to do just that,” he said. The National Day of Action includes protests in communities across Canada, including several in Ontario.
