1 million British Columbians don’t have a family doctor. Together we can change this.
The idea of privatized healthcare is a lose-lose situation for British Columbians
- Almost 1 in 5 British Columbians go without reliable access to basic healthcare because they cannot find a family doctor.
- In the last five years, the BC NDP government has continued to welcome corporate, for-profit medicine in BC to fill the gaps in our healthcare system that the government has failed to fix.
- Many private clinics are charging patients extra fees for basic healthcare services – a practice which goes against federal healthcare laws.
- Research shows that private sector outsourcing corresponds to increased rates of mortality, potentially due to a decline in the quality of services.
We can fulfill the promise of
universal healthcare in British Columbia
universal healthcare in British Columbia
- Sonia Furstenau
2000
BC NDP government acknowledges that there are fundamental problems with the family doctor system in BC, and promises to fix it. (Read more)
2010
BC Liberal Health Minister Kevin Falcon promises everyone will have a family doctor by 2015 (Read more)
2016
BC Liberals fail to get everyone a family doctor and give up on their 'A GP for Me' program (Read more)
2022
2002-2004
BC Liberal government slashes the province's healthcare budget, rolls back salaries for healthcare professionals by 15%, and privatizes seniors’ care facilities, hospital cleaning, and patient food services (Read more)
2013
BC Liberals promise a family doctor for everyone (again) (Read more)
2018
BC NDP government prioritizes the development of Urgent and Primary Care Centres (UPCCs), which do not address the family doctor crisis. They are immediately understaffed, mismanaged, and overcrowded
2023
?
2000
BC NDP government acknowledges that there are fundamental problems with the family doctor system in BC, and promises to fix it. (Read more)
2002-2004
BC Liberal government slashes the province's healthcare budget, rolls back salaries for healthcare professionals by 15%, and privatizes seniors’ care facilities, hospital cleaning, and patient food services (Read more)
2010
BC Liberal Health Minister Kevin Falcon promises everyone will have a family doctor by 2015 (Read more)
2013
BC Liberals promise a family doctor for everyone (again) (Read more)
2016
BC Liberals fail to get everyone a family doctor and give up on their 'A GP for Me' program (Read more)
2018
BC NDP government prioritizes the development of Urgent and Primary Care Centres (UPCCs), which do not address address the family doctor crisis. They are immediately understaffed, mismanaged, and overcrowded.
2022
2023
?
The BC Green Party healthcare plan
- create the infrastructure for management staff who can run primary care clinics, while doctors focus on patient care
- Prioritize the rapid deployment of team-based care across BC, including infrastructure for management staff
- Incorporate universal mental healthcare into the healthcare system
- Restore the equity of our public system by making sure everyone can access services like reproductive care close to their communities
- Protect our universal healthcare system from encroaching private healthcare companies
Who we are
Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the BC Green Party
In 2020, Sonia was elected leader of the BC Greens, just as overlapping crises like lack of affordable housing, a collapsing healthcare system, and extreme weather events were taking a particularly devastating toll on British Columbians.
What we need is a premier who is honest about the situation and willing to respond with decisive action. It's time to put Sonia in the driver's seat and move BC forward.
Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands
Adam is a member of Tsartlip First Nation (WJOȽEȽP) and was raised in W̱SÁNEĆ territory on the Saanich Peninsula, surrounded by the Salish Sea.
Adam was twice elected as a Councillor of the District of Central Saanich. He served in that position from 2008 to 2012. He has served his community by building relationships and connecting people, bringing them together to find solutions for complex problems.
That is a common misconception. However, with the current primary care system (or “fee-for-service model”) in BC, family practices are operated as small businesses. As our population ages and the pandemic continues, doctors are struggling to keep up with a heavy caseload while also managing their small businesses. This situation is leading to large-scale burnout, the closure of family practices, and an exodus of doctors from the system.
It’s also turning prospective doctors away from family practice, because their skills can be better utilized in specialized medical fields or in private healthcare clinics where the business is managed for them.
All the while, more and more British Columbians go without access to a family doctor and their healthcare suffers.
No. Private healthcare clinics have a legal place in Canada's healthcare system, but there are clear boundaries.
Canada's universal healthcare system is founded on the idea that basic healthcare should be universally accessible. Income and financial resources should never prevent someone from the care they need.
Provincial governments are responsible for providing these basic healthcare programs. For-profit companies are free to offer additional healthcare services at a price. BC Greens only want to protect the public system from companies that illegally offer basic healthcare services.
Yes, proper health care in the 21st century needs to include mental health care. Thousands of British Columbians need it and have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars a month, while many of our citizens have to forego mental health support completely.
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