2026-08-26 from policyalternatives.ca
Fast facts
- On September 1, Alberta’s new two-tier health care system takes effect.
- A new Abacus Data public opinion survey of 1,500 Alberta residents and 1,500 respondents from the rest of Canada shows widespread opposition to U.S.-style, two-tier health care, where physicians and private facilities can bill patients and the public system for medically necessary health care.
- Nine in 10 Canadians are concerned about the future of public health care—half of them worry about the cost of health care in the future.
- This national survey shows that the Alberta government is pushing a policy direction that is not aligned with the research evidence nor does it have support in Alberta and across Canada.
- While the Alberta government continues to advance the idea that Albertans have distinct views from the rest of Canada, this poll finds that Albertans share similar views with the rest of the country.
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