Friends of Medicare calls on Albertans to push back against two-tiered system
By Lethbridge Herald on November 21, 2025.
Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A confidential draft legislation obtained by the Globe and Mail outlines plans by the Alberta Government to bring two-tier health care to Alberta by allowing physicians to simultaneously work in the private and public sectors.
Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, says Albertans only have to look at Quebec’s health care system to know that this plan isn’t going to work.
“They have the highest percentage of doctors who opt out of the public system, it’s been a growing problem there and their wait times for the public system have gone up and up as folks in Quebec struggle to access a doctor.”
With more than 800,000 Albertans without a doctor, Gallaway believes a two-tiered system is going to make wait times excruciatingly long.
Earlier this week, AUPE health care workers announced a strike notice and Gallaway says the government’s focus is on the wrong things when it comes to fixing the health care system.
“What we actually need is a workforce plan with retention, recruitment and training solutions that ensures everyone has access to doctors and healthcare workers.
Gallaway says there has been no consultation with the Canadian Medical Association and other frontline workers and goes against what they ran on during their election.
“(The UCP) ran on a public healthcare guarantee, yet since being re-elected, they’ve been implementing more and more privatization and more and more ways people have to pay out of pocket.”
In 2006, former premier Ralph Klein introduced a similar bill, “The New Way,” which he later backed down on due to push back from the public. Gallaway is encouraging those who disagree with the legislation to call up their MLA.
“When (Klein) was premier he tried to pass a two-tiered system and the backlash from Albertans meant that he backed off because he realized it was not politically popular, so this is the moment to do that, the government’s plan is out there and this is our moment to push back.”
12-11
Why.
OLDCORN: Alberta’s ‘Dual Practice Model’ — finally, a healthcare system that works for the people
Premier Smith’s plan to let doctors work both publicly and privately is the fix Alberta’s healthcare desperately needs.
blob:https://lethbridgeherald.com/21d5a361-0b13-4291-bfdf-576c0f2bdc8f
Christopher Oldcorn
Published on:
20 Nov 2025, 10:48 am
For years, Albertans have been slapped with long wait times for surgeries that should be done quickly.
Everyone knows it’s not because there aren’t enough skilled surgeons — that’s not the problem.
The problem is the public system is stretched thin, with not enough operating room time to get the job done.
Some surgeons have even fled the country for better pay and better working conditions elsewhere, leaving us all stuck waiting longer.
Premier Danielle Smith and her team have a straightforward solution called the “Dual Practice Model” (DPM).
Simply put, it means doctors and surgeons can do their public system jobs during the day but offer private surgeries after hours or on weekends if they want.
This isn’t about pushing more bills onto Albertans or raising taxes.
It’s about unlocking more surgeries so people don’t have to wait in agony.
It’s about letting doctors do what they came here to do — help patients.
And guess what?
This isn’t some wild experiment.
Countries like France, Germany, and the Netherlands have had success mixing public and private healthcare for years.
They’ve cracked the code on giving people more choices while keeping universal healthcare intact.
Alberta is just catching up to what smarter health systems have been doing all along.
Some folks worry the rich will get faster care while everyone else suffers.
But properly regulated, these dual systems make the whole thing run smoother.
When more people choose to pay privately, it frees up public resources for the rest of us.
Doctors get better pay and won’t feel the need to jump ship.
Patient waitlists go down.
Everyone wins, as long as the government keeps a close eye on those public-private surgery ratios and patient records, which the UCP promises.
Premier Smith’s promise is rock solid.
No Albertan will ever lose their publicly funded surgery, twist their arm to pay out of pocket, or be left behind.
The public health guarantee remains.
This plan is about working smarter, not harder, and leading the way on healthcare reform in Canada.
It’s time to stop letting old ideas hold us back.
The DPM is a balanced, fair approach that could finally cut surgery wait times and keep doctors here working for Alberta.
It gives people real options without breaking the bank.
If we want a healthcare system that works for everyday Albertans, it’s time to get behind this plan and put patients first.
This is healthcare reform that puts power back where it belongs, with the people, and shows that Alberta is ready to lead, not lag behind.
If Buckwheat is allowed to be so off topic, https://albertapolitics.ca/2025/11/alberta-moves-to-make-quackery-great-again-while-protecting-egregiously-unprofessional-behaviour/