Commentary: Burning Platforms, Icebergs and Tipping Points – Canada Needs a Single Socially Accountable Healthcare System

Abstract

Leslie et al.’s (2022) article caused me to reflect on the complexities and contradictions that are Canada. Healthcare in Canada is a hodgepodge of different health systems all assembled under the umbrella of the Canada Health Act (1985). Canadians expect medicare to deliver high-quality healthcare close to home wherever they live. For this aspiration to become a reality, there needs to be a single pan-Canadian health system focussed on the health needs of the populations being served. This socially accountable healthcare system is likely to be achieved only if there is a chorus of support across Canada for meaningful pan-Canadian health reforms.