Advocacy groups rallying against Alberta’s public-private healthcare bill
Posted Mar 16, 2026 7:50 am.
Advocacy group Friends of Medicare is holding a rally in Calgary Monday outside MP Corey Hogan’s office on 10 Street NW.
A similar protest is also happening in Edmonton.
It’s part of the ‘National Day of Action’ to protest the Alberta’s government’s Bill 11.
Protestors are demanding the federal government intervene to stop the expansion of two-tier, private healthcare in Alberta and across Canada.
The province tabled the bill in November, claiming it would modernize Alberta’s healthcare system. It’s landmark provision would allow physicians to practice in both the public and private health care sectors.
Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adriana LaGrange has previously said the changes in the act are designed to give Albertans more choice, improve access, and significantly reduce surgical wait times.
There would also be changes to drug coverage, food safety reforms, billing practices, and a new process for Alberta health card renewal to reduce misuse.
The province says Albertans would never pay out of pocket to see a family doctor, but choose to pay for care at private clinics facilities offering extended hours on evenings and weekends.
Opposition NDP leader Naheed Nenshi has slammed the legislation, saying it is the province’s way of bringing “American-style healthcare” to Alberta.
In recent weeks, a series of town halls were held across Alberta, including in Calgary back on Jan. 24, where residents and healthcare workers voiced concerns over long wait times, a lack of doctors, and continued crises in emergency rooms.
-With files from Michael Ranger
