Medicine Hat joins national rallies against Alberta's dual-practice health law
An information picket outside the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner constituency office was one of 27 community actions held nationwide Tuesday as advocates pressed Ottawa to intervene.
Why it matters
The law could reshape how Albertans access medically necessary care and their out-of-pocket costs for treatment.
Health-care advocates in Medicine Hat held an information picket Tuesday outside the local constituency office as part of a national day of action organized by Friends of Medicare. The group coordinated rallies and other events in 27 communities across Canada, including Calgary, Edmonton, Leduc, Lethbridge, Red Deer and St. Albert, timed to coincide with the legislation taking effect.
The target of the protests is Alberta's Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2), formerly Bill 11, which passed in December 2025. The law allows physicians to work in both the public and private systems simultaneously, including charging patients out of pocket for medically necessary services. Friends of Medicare said Alberta is now the only province permitting this dual-practice model.
Organizers are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney and federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel to enforce the Canada Health Act and preserve what they describe as Canada's universal, single-payer public system, arguing access should depend on medical need rather than ability to pay.
A legal opinion prepared for the Canadian Health Coalition by Goldblatt Partners LLP concluded the legislation violates the Canada Health Act's principles of comprehensiveness, accessibility and universality, as well as federal rules against extra-billing and user fees.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.