Healthcare took a backseat in Canada’s 2025 election, overshadowed by trade tensions, but parties pledge more doctors, mental health funding, and system reforms.
Health Care Overshadowed by Trade in 2025 Election
Once expected to be a central election topic, health care took a backseat in the 2025 federal campaign, eclipsed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and sovereignty threats. Political scientist Nelson Wiseman notes this is unprecedented in recent decades, as economic concerns dominated voter attention and media coverage.
Promises to Boost Doctor Numbers and Support Health Workers
The Liberal platform pledges to add thousands of new doctors by expanding medical school and residency spaces, particularly in primary care, addressing the urgent gap affecting over six million Canadians without family doctors. However, experts like Dr. Carrie Bernard emphasize that increasing training seats must be paired with investments in infrastructure, teaching staff, and clinical placements to be effective.
Nurses and nurse practitioners are also highlighted as vital to closing care gaps. Valerie Grdisa, CEO of the Canadian Nurses Association, points to evidence that nurse practitioners deliver comparable or better outcomes at lower costs, advocating for their expanded role in multidisciplinary teams and independent practice.
Reducing Administrative Burdens and Streamlining Licensing
To retain health professionals, the Liberals aim to cut paperwork through digital tools like e-prescribing and e-referrals, easing doctors’ workloads. A new practice fund to help new doctors set up clinics in underserved communities also received praise.
Both Liberals and Conservatives support creating a national licensing system for physicians and nurses to work across provinces, though political scientist Wiseman cautions that provincial jurisdiction may complicate implementation.
Mental Health Funding Gains Spotlight
The Liberals commit to a permanent Youth Mental Health Fund, expanding access to community-based services for 100,000 young people annually. Additional investments include $500 million for emergency treatment addressing the overdose crisis and continued support for the 988 suicide crisis helpline, which has seen heavy use since its 2023 launch.
Experts like Glenn Brimacombe and Sarah Kennell welcome these steps but stress the need for mental health and substance use care to be publicly funded under the Canada Health Act. Currently, many essential services-such as counselling and psychotherapy-fall outside universal coverage, leaving patients to pay out-of-pocket or rely on patchy funding.
The Challenge Ahead: Provincial Cooperation and Legislative Reform
Most health care delivery falls under provincial control, meaning Ottawa’s promises hinge on provincial buy-in. Experts urge cross-party collaboration and legislative reforms to bridge gaps between physical and mental health care, with broad political support but complex implementation ahead.
With health care quietly returning to the policy forefront, Canadians await concrete actions to address doctor shortages, mental health equity, and system modernization.
