Canada’s health-care system is facing a worsening crisis, with half of Canadians reporting they either don’t have a family doctor or struggle to see the one they have, according to new data from the Angus Reid Institute.The survey highlights a decade-long decline in access. In 2015, 40% of Canadians reported difficulty seeing a family doctor; that number has risen to 50% in 2025. Meanwhile, those able to secure an appointment within a day or two have dropped from 24% to just 15% over the same period. One-in-eight Canadians say they’ve been searching for a family doctor for more than a year — or have given up entirely.The shortage of accessible primary care is not just a provincial staffing issue. While most provinces have increased the number of family doctors per capita since 2015, Alberta and Ontario lag behind, and the aging population with more complex health needs has made timely access increasingly difficult. .Canadians report similar struggles across the board, with growing numbers unable to see specialists, access diagnostics, or receive emergency care promptly.Among Canadians who needed care in the past six months, 40% said they had difficulty booking a diagnostic test, 46% struggled to get needed surgery, 56% faced barriers to seeing a specialist, and 52% found accessing emergency care difficult.Public confidence in the system has eroded as spending has soared. Health-care spending has nearly doubled over the past decade, from $219 billion to $399 billion, including a $130-billion increase in public spending. Yet, 70% of Canadians say the quality of health care in their province has worsened, and 59% are not confident they could access timely care in an emergency.The findings underscore mounting pressure on provincial health systems, highlighting that increased spending alone has not solved the growing access crisis that Canadians face every day.
