Save Medicare
Melanie Bechard
Volume 41 Issue 4, 5 & 6 | Posted: June 2, 2026
Dear Editor
Like us, you are probably very concerned that the Government of Alberta has passed legislation to support two-tier health care.
The Alberta Health Statutes Amendment Act (No. 2) was passed on December 18, 2025 and allows physicians to both bill the government for publicly-funded care and charge patients privately for the same medically necessary services. This “dual practice” represents a catastrophic threat to Canadian Medicare as it draws physicians away from the public system, thereby creating an inequitable circumstance where access to timely care is dependent on one’s ability to pay. It also opens the door to private insurance companies and American-style health care.
But it’s not too late. We can still save Medicare in Alberta and across Canada. Minister Michel recently cautioned Alberta and reiterated that she is the guardian of the Canada Health Act.
We need to urge our federal government to fully enforce the Canada Health Act to protect Albertans from patient charges. The threat of withdrawal of a significant amount of health funding is arguably our best chance of stopping Alberta from pursuing dual practice and preventing the spread across Canada.
We urgently need your help.
Please reach out to your Member of Parliament and tell them that the Government of Canada must fully enforce the Canada Health Act to prevent two-tiered health care.
1. We encourage you to share this national letter from Canadian Doctors for Medicare and 23 national and provincial organizations with your MP. Please also include a personal message in the body of your email to your MP as they do tend to respond well to individual stories and letters from constituents.
2. After you have notified your MP, please inform us at info@canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca. This helps us track our efforts and impact.
You can learn more about the Health Statutes Amendment Act (No.2 )on our website at (https://www.canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca/alberta_bill_11?utm_campaign_bill_11+members_and_su&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cdm).
This is an all-hands-on-deck situation. We truly appreciate your continued help and support as we mobilize to take on what is arguably the biggest threat to Medicare of the decade!
Melanie Bechard
Chair, Canadian Doctors for Medicare
Melanie Bechard