BC's Eby cites Alberta's dual-track law in attack on BC Conservatives
Ahead of BC's Oct. 24 election, NDP Leader David Eby pointed to a law passed by Alberta's UCP government as a warning about what he calls creeping health-care privatization.
Why it matters
Alberta's dual-track health law has become a flashpoint in another province's election, highlighting ongoing national debate over the policy's compliance with the Canada Health Act.
BC NDP Leader David Eby campaigned in Delta on Monday, warning that BC Conservatives would follow Alberta's lead on health care if elected. He pointed to legislation passed by Premier Danielle Smith's UCP government late last year that allows doctors to work simultaneously in both the public and private systems, calling the approach "U.S.-style privatization" that lets doctors charge families for medically necessary surgeries.
Eby signed what his party calls a "public health-care guarantee," pledging to block changes that would charge patients for necessary care, allow people to pay to skip waitlists, or pull staff from the public system. He argued the Alberta model draws doctors out of public care and called it "anti-Canadian."
BC Conservatives, led by interim leader Lorne Doerkson, rejected the comparison, saying they are committed to keeping BC's system "universal and publicly funded" and accused Eby of fearmongering to distract from issues like closing emergency rooms and more than one million British Columbians without a family doctor. Alberta's government did not respond to a request for comment, but has previously defended its law as a way to attract more doctors and said it does not violate the Canada Health Act.
Health care has become a central issue in BC's Oct. 24 election, with the NDP proposing new tax brackets on high earners to fund health spending, while Conservatives have promised a $50-million rural emergency fund and an expert panel to study ways to cut wait times.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.