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‘Day of Action’ rallies against privatized health care across Ontario and Canada Monday
Posted: March 13, 2026
(March 12, 2026) By: Glenn Hendry, Insauga News
Health coalitions are rallying at Liberal MPs offices across the country Monday to protest U.S.-style private care reforms being pushed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Durham Health Coalition, which is organizing a rally outside Ajax MP Jennifer McKelvie’s office on Old Kingston Road at noon on Monday, is calling on Ottawa and the Liberal MPS to “stand up” to Smith and Ford, enforce the Canada Health Act and “save lives.”
The nationwide Day of Action warns public health care for all in Canada is under “unprecedented threat” and have invited MPs to support the fight against privatization in health care and bring the issue back to caucus as a “priority.”
A press release from the Durham Health Coalition points to Smith’s government in Albert passing laws to end universal health care and bring in private clinics, while Ford is “cutting, closing and privatizing our public hospitals.”
The changes in Alberta will bring in private for-profit health insurance, direct billing of patients and “queue jumping for those who can afford it,” while pushing everyone else back in line, the coalition claimed.
“It is not ‘like’ U.S. style health care. It is U.S. private health care, and for-profit health care interests are lined up to cash in.”
“It’s an unprecedented frontal assault on the Canada Health Act to end single-tier public Medicare.”
Other rallies in Ontario are being held in Mississauga, Hamilton, Toronto, London, Waterloo and Ottawa.
The health coalitions are calling on the federal government to:
- Tell the Danielle Smith government that its health care privatization scheme contravenes the Canada Health Act and they will face a dollar-for-dollar claw-back of federal health care funding if they proceed.
- Require that Ontario stop private clinics from charging patients for medically needed care. The Canada Health Act prohibits user fees and extra-billing of patients, including direct and indirect charges – no private clinic can require payment for medically unnecessary things (such as extra lenses that do not have anything to do with cataracts) to get the medically needed service (such as cataract surgery).
“Selling queue-jumping for those who have the thousands of dollars available to pay contravenes the requirement that all Canadians have access to health care based on medical need, not wealth.”
- Ensure the carve-out of public health care in Canada under trade agreements will protect the rest of the country if Alberta contravenes the act.
“Right now, we all risk losing public health care to U.S. for-profit insurance corporations if Alberta persists.”
Durham Health Coalition chair Pam Parkes (who is also president of CUPE 6364 at Lakeridge Health) and Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, will be addressing the crowd at the rally.
