EDMONTON — This Wednesday, as Canada’s Premiers were meeting in Charlottetown for the Council of Federation, the Alberta government quietly issued Orders in Council which reclassified all preventive health testing services as non-insured extended health services, as well as other regulatory changes. 

CHARLOTTETOWN — Public health care advocates rallying outside the premiers’ Council of the Federation meeting are demanding Canada’s premiers stop the spread of American-style, two-tier health care before it takes root nationwide.

OTTAWA — Friends of Medicare’s executive director, Chris Gallaway, was on Parliament Hill in Ottawa this morning, joining the Canadian Health Coalition, Canadian Doctors for Medicare, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights and Goldblatt Partners LLC lawyer, Emma Phillips, for a press conference to release a brand new legal opinion on the recent Bill 11 regulations released by the Alberta government. 

EDMONTON — This morning, Minister Adriana LaGrange announced regulations to Bill 11: Health Statutes Amendment Act 2025 (No.2), passed last December. This sweeping, 300-page legislation established an unprecedented model of two-tiered health care access in Alberta by allowing physicians to work in both the public and private systems concurrently, including charging patients out of pocket. No where else in Canada allows this model of “Dual Practice,” and legal opinion already indicates that Bill 11 is in violation of the Canada Health Act.

The law creates a two-tier health care system for Albertans, and undermines Canada’s universal public system

EDMONTON — During today’s Question Period—the first since the Alberta Legislative Assembly returned from last week’s constituency break—the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Rick Wilson, was directly asked to apologize for misleading the Legislature, and to tell Albertans what he actually saw happen during a recent visit to a Supervised Consumption Site. But rather than answer the questions posed to him, he instead resorted to reading out recycled Recovery Alberta talking points, and used his time to rail against medical evidence and life-saving harm reduction services.

EDMONTON — During Question Period in the Alberta Legislature on Tuesday, Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services Matt Jones made the following statement in response to a question:

We’re looking at developing a voucher program where patients who have waited longer than clinically recommended can go to any approved or accredited provider in Alberta and get that surgery.