Health Canada looking into private clinics offering COVID-19 tests

People paying for rapid tests at private clinics Ongoing debate on issue of private for-profit COVID-19 testing at private clinics. CTV’s Michel Boyer reports.

OTTAWA — Health Canada is looking into reports that a number of for-profit health clinics are administering COVID-19 tests to Canadians looking to bypass long wait times, going against the essence of the country’s universal health-care system.

In a press briefing in Ottawa on Monday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she has spoken with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about individuals accessing COVID-19 tests for around $250 and his concerns that this violates the Canada Health Act.

Hajdu said her department is looking into it, but that “generally no, we prefer that there isn’t a two-tier public health system. In fact, the law says explicitly that that should not exist and we have a number of measures that we can take under the Canada Health Act if that’s happening,” she said.

CTV News was able to pay $254 at an executive health care clinic and walked out with a COVID-19 saliva test kit, with results arriving in a few days after the test is couriered to a lab in Toronto. The test is not covered by provincial health plans, and is not approved by Health Canada.

Speaking generally, Hajdu said it’s important that clinics only use Health Canada approved tests, citing that unregulated testing devices can lead to “some pretty significant adverse outcomes,” like false negative results.

The issue began gaining public attention weeks ago when Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole got a COVID-19 test at a private clinic in Gatineau, Que., designated for members of Parliament and paid for by the House of Commons, after being turned away at an at-capacity public facility in Ottawa.

He later said he was unaware it was privately run but then stated he wouldn’t discourage his colleagues from doing the same if it meant they could return to work more quickly.

At least two others MPs reached by CTV News have also used the service for themselves or family members, who paid for their own tests.

Since resuming on Sept. 23, Parliament has been functioning in a hybrid model that sees some MPs travelling to Ottawa to be present in the House of Commons while others are required to tune in remotely.

In an interview on CTV’s Power Play following O’Toole’s comments, NDP whip Rachel Blaney said she has advised her MPs not to use the private option.

“I am from the party of Tommy Douglas so we absolutely need a healthy and robust public health care system,” she said. “I think step one, it’s not good enough for Erin O’Toole we might as well see more investment from the federal government to make it right for everyone else.”

While fielding questions about MPs' access to private clinics last week, Hajdu suggested that those who travel and meet with people more frequently should be screened on a regular basis.

“There is a very valid public health reason to make sure people who travel a lot, who interact with people a lot, and who also go back and forth from home to work, to have an ability to be able to test if they are exhibiting symptoms. That’s an important element of the House of Commons testing site for Parliamentarians,” said Hajdu.

She added that the federal government has equipped the provinces with the support necessary to boost testing capabilities nationwide, though in Ontario long lines and backlogs at public clinics have left some Canadians waiting days to get their results, a gap these private clinics are offering to fill, at a price.

With the public system overwhelmed, corporations like Ontario Power Generation are also bypassing it and running their own testing for workers they say are essential.

On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the province would shift to an appointment-only testing system to deal with processing backlogs and long line-ups.

Trudeau said on Monday equal access is “foundational” to Canada’s health-care system.

With files from CTV News’ Senior Political Correspondent Glen McGregor and Rachel Aiello