Election 2025: Health Care

A strong public health care system benefits Canadians and our economy. It is fundamentally intertwined with our country’s history and our future. Serious commitments are needed to stop health care privatization and invest in public health care to reduce wait times, increase staffing levels, and expand public health care services. Canadians overwhelmingly support public, universal health care and oppose a U.S.-style system of privatized health care.

How current policy is falling short

When Medicare was first introduced, the federal and provincial governments each covered 50% of the cost. The federal share of health care funding has since declined due to the failure of Conservative and Liberal governments. In 2023, the federal government only covered 21.5% of the cost.
The Liberals made an increase to the 2023-24 Canada Health Transfer (the amount of federal health care dollars transferred to the provinces and territories), but they have not restored the federal share of health care spending to what we need.
The failure to make adequate investments in health care has opened the door to privatization. This leaves a person’s ability to access needed care dependent on their ability to pay.

CUPE’s position on what we need

Ensure all health care in Canada is publicly administered and delivered and accessible to everyone at no out-of-pocket expense.
Increase the federal funding by at least 5.2 per cent per year. This is the minimum funding that’s required to simply maintain our current basket of health care services.
Ensure all public health care dollars are invested in public health care services.
Tie health care funding to national health standards to ensure that no matter where you live in Canada, you can expect to receive the same type and quality of care.
Extend the principles and provisions of the Canada Health Act to home care and long-term care, making them publicly funded and delivered services.
Expand what we’ve won in the new pharmacare and dental care programs, including universal access to more prescription drugs, mental health, and addictions care.

Where the parties stand

Poilievre and the Conservatives are the single greatest threat to our public health care. The Liberals have been forced by the NDP to make progress on new programs, including pharmacare and dental care. These are important victories, but the Liberals have allowed health care privatization to worsen, and federal funding of health care continues to fall short.
The NDP will stop health care privatization, expand new federal programs, and restore federal health care spending.