National Day of Action Re Bill 11
Full disclosure - our own Kelly Allard is co-chair of the local Friends of Medicare chapter.
MEDICINE HAT, AB – Healthcare advocates are organizing a nationwide "National Day of Action for Public Health Care" on September 1, 2026, to demand federal intervention against Alberta's Bill 11. The legislation, which takes effect that day, permits dual public-private practice and allows patients to pay out-of-pocket for medically necessary services - a model critics call American-style, two-tier healthcare that violates the Canada Health Act.
In Medicine Hat, demonstrators will gather for a lunch-hour picket at the constituency office of MP Glen Motz, one of 26 coordinated actions across the country led by Friends of Medicare and allied coalitions.
Organizers argue that Bill 11 prioritizes wealth over medical need and represents the most serious threat to Canada's public system in generations. Despite nearly eight months passing since the bill was passed, they say the federal government has taken no meaningful action to enforce the Canada Health Act. Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel has voiced concerns and sent a letter to Alberta seeking protections, but advocates insist time has run out for dialogue and are demanding enforceable measures, including the potential withholding of health transfer payments.
Alberta officials, including Premier Danielle Smith and Minister Adriana LaGrange, have defended the law as a provincial matter and maintain it does not violate federal standards. However, with the implementation date imminent, protesters warn that the model will drain resources from the public system and worsen wait times for those unable to afford private care. The September 1 actions aim to pressure Ottawa to act before Alberta's experiment becomes a blueprint for other provinces.
