EDMONTON — Today the Final Report of the National Pharmacare Committee of Experts was tabled in Parliament. The committee was struck by the federal government in November 2024 as mandated by BIll C-64: An Act Respecting Pharmacare, and was tasked with making recommendations for the government’s implementation of the next stages of the national public drug plan.

Friends of Medicare's executive director Chris Gallaway made the following statement:

EDMONTON — After two years, Auditor General Doug Wylie’s report An Examination of Community Laboratory Services (Contract with DynaLIFE) was tabled in the Legislature yesterday afternoon. Friends of Medicare spent the evening reviewing the 48-page report, which raises considerable concerns.

EDMONTON — Today Recovery Alberta issued a brief memo to inform staff and physicians at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital that they are closing the facility’s Supervised Consumption Service (SCS) effective December 16, 2025. Instead, they will be establishing “recovery-oriented” addiction services in the facility, details of which were not provided. 

EDMONTON — Confidential draft legislation obtained by the Globe and Mail outlines plans by the Alberta Government to bring two-tier health care to Alberta. The amendments would establish an unprecedented model whereby physicians could privately charge patients for insured care services, while simultaneously billing the public health care system.

EDMONTON — Bill 9 is expected to be tabled in the legislature later this afternoon, and to include the use of the notwithstanding clause on three laws the government passed last year. All three laws attacked the rights of transgender, non-binary, Two-Spirit and gender diverse Albertans, including Bill 26: Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 (No.2) which limits access to gender-affirming health care.

Earlier this afternoon, the Premier and her health ministers held a press conference themed 'improving access to health care', where they released what the government is calling an Acute Care Action Plan.

Last Wednesday, AUPE announced that nursing care workers voted 98% in favour of strike action, an overwhelming majority of their members.

These workers include Locals 041, 043, 044, 045 & 046 members at Alberta Health Services, the four new pillars of health care (Recovery Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, Assisted Living Alberta), and Allen Gray Continuing Care Centre. The earliest AUPE could serve strike notice is this coming Monday, November 17.

EDMONTON — Yesterday, UCP MLAs voted to reject an extension on the Auditor General’s contract, while he is actively investigating major allegations of government corruption in Alberta’s private surgical contracts. It’s now unclear if Auditor General Doug Wylie will be able to complete his investigation and report into these corruption allegations before his term ends in April 2026.

EDMONTON — The government’s Throne Speech tabled this afternoon lays out an agenda for the fall session of the legislature that simply continues the chaotic restructuring and rapid privatization of public health care in Alberta.

EDMONTON — Today Premier Danielle Smith and Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adrianna LaGrange announced plans for new “reforms” to diagnostic testing, introducing American-style health care which will see Albertans paying out of pocket for private diagnostic screening and testing services, including MRIs, CT scans, full-body scans and blood work.