Overview
- Bill 11, which received royal assent in December 2025, formally comes into force this week and creates a regulated ‘dual practice’ option for eligible specialist physicians to work in both public and private settings.
- The Alberta government says it received nearly 400 expressions of interest from physicians over the summer and will begin a formal application process in mid-September with privately paid surgeries expected to start later in the fall after approvals and reporting rules are in place.
- Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel’s office has opened targeted discussions with Alberta and reviewed June regulations but has not concluded whether the law violates the Canada Health Act or whether it will use enforcement tools such as financial penalties.
- National and provincial health groups led by the Canadian Health Coalition are organizing more than 30 demonstrations and 50 town halls to pressure Ottawa to intervene, arguing the model risks diverting staff and lengthening public wait lists.
- Experts point to past Canadian examples, notably Manitoba in the 1990s, and research from other provinces that show parallel private-pay options can pull personnel from the public system and raise public wait times, a key line of evidence shaping current federal review.