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Health advocates rally to warn of growing privatization
Posted: September 2, 2026
(September 1, 2026) By: Olivia Browning, TBnewswatch.com
Protesters gathered in Thunder Bay to express fears that Alberta’s Bill 11 undermines the Canada Health Act and introduces a two-tier payment system.
Health-care advocates in Thunder Bay gathered Tuesday to protest Alberta’s Bill 11, warning that the legislation could open the door to greater privatization of health care across Canada and undermine the principles of the Canada Health Act.
The local protest, held Tuesday, coincided with the implementation of Alberta’s legislation. Similar actions were being held by health coalitions across the country.
Jules Tupker, co-chair of the Thunder Bay and District Health Coalition, said the group’s message was directed at Thunder Bay–Superior North MP Patty Hajdu and the federal government: intervene before Alberta’s approach becomes a model for other provinces.
“Bill 11 is opening up the door to privatize health care,” Tupker said.
According to Tupker, the legislation allows insurance companies to become involved in the delivery of health-care services and permits physicians to access those insurers for payment. Tupker argued that this could allow patients to receive medically necessary care more quickly based on their ability to pay.
Tupker said the federal government has had months to respond to Alberta’s legislation and should now take action.
“We’re here today to tell Patty Hajdu: do something. Stop it,” Tupker said.
The concern extends beyond Alberta, according to Cheryl McSweeney, vice-president of political action for Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) Local 73. McSweeney echoed Tupker’s concerns that allowing one province to move toward a more privatized model could encourage other provinces to follow.
“Our public health-care system is the backbone of health care in Canada,” McSweeney said. “We really need to support it and to enforce it.”
McSweeney pointed specifically to Ontario, where she said privatization has already been increasing gradually.
Her concern is that private and public providers will increasingly compete for the same limited pool of health-care workers.
“There’s only so many people in the system,” she said. “When you privatize, you are competing for those resources. The public system suffers.”
That workforce, she added, extends far beyond nurses and physicians. It includes physical and occupational therapists, personal support workers, laboratory technicians, dietary staff and numerous other health-care professionals.
Both Tupker and McSweeney said the issue is ultimately about protecting access to care for patients, particularly those who may not have the financial means to pay for faster service.
McSweeney said patients and families are already feeling pressure to advocate for themselves within the health-care system. She said she frequently hears from patients and family members who feel they must be constantly present, vocal and proactive to ensure their needs are addressed.
“They feel like they’ve always got to be there and watch the system, be vocal, have to be proactive in the care,” she said.
On Tuesday, about 30 people turned up at the rally, something Tupker said he was frustrated with.
“This is an issue that concerns everybody in Thunder Bay,” he said. “Everybody in Canada should be concerned about that.”
The health advocates said the protest is not the end of their campaign.
McSweeney said her union and other groups will continue advocating, supporting rallies and encouraging people to contact their elected representatives.
“We will continue to advocate,” she said.
Tupker similarly urged residents who could not attend the protest to contact Hajdu and other elected officials directly and call on the federal government to intervene.
