Charlottetown rally calls for premiers to back away from health care privatization
Skip to ContentHomeFilter by regionNova ScotiaHalifaxLocal SportsLocal BusinessLocal OpinionAnnapolis ValleyTruroTri-CountyNew GlasgowSouth ShoreAntigonishCape BretonPrince Edward IslandSummersideNewfoundland. . .
Skip to ContentHomeFilter by regionNova ScotiaHalifaxLocal SportsLocal BusinessLocal OpinionAnnapolis ValleyTruroTri-CountyNew GlasgowSouth ShoreAntigonishCape BretonPrince Edward IslandSummersideNewfoundland & LabradorNewsCanadaHealthWorldOpinionEditorial CartoonsBusinessLocal BusinessSportsLocal SportsBaseballBasketballFootballHockeyEntertainment & LifeFoodHomesSavingsSpecial SectionsLives ToldTails ToldShopping EssentialsDealsEntertainment & HobbiesGift GuideHome LivingKitchen & DiningOutdoor LivingPersonal CareStyle & BeautyTechTravel GuidePNI Atlantic StoreePaperPuzzmoNewslettersTravelBusiness AdsObituariesClassifiedsJobsAdvertisingAdvertising With UsAdvertising SolutionsPostmedia Ad ManagerSponsorship RequestsProfileSettingsMy SubscriptionsNewslettersCustomer ServiceFAQNewsOpinionBusinessSportsEntertainment & LifeSpecial SectionsShopping EssentialsePaperPuzzmoNewslettersTravelBusiness AdsObituariesClassifiedsJobsProtestors outside of the Delta hotel in Charlottetown on July 22 took aim at Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, as well as health privatization in general. Canadian premiers held meetings in Charlottetown from July 21-23. Photo by Stu Neatby/The GuardianA collective of union activists and public sector advocates held a rally outside of this week’s meetings of provincial and territorial leaders, calling for an end to privatization in health care. Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSubscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience. Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsCreate an account or sign in to continue your reading experience. Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe rally drew roughly 140 attendees on a rainy Wednesday afternoon outside Charlottetown’s Delta Prince Edward Hotel, which hosted a meeting of the provincial and territorial premiers. Speakers from unions and members of the Canada Health Coalition called for the country’s leaders to put public dollars back into the health-care system instead of allowing private delivery of health care. “We can’t afford a privatized system in this country. We are so proud as Canadians of our public health-care system, and it deserves investment. It deserves proper staffing. It deserves innovation,” said Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske. Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, speaks at a rally outside of the meeting of the Canadian premiers in Charlottetown on July 22. Bruske said Canadians cannot afford to see the privatization of health care. Photo by Stu Neatby/The GuardianP. E. I. has seen increased delivery of private delivery of health services in recent years. In 2024, a private clinic began providing cataract surgeries in Charlottetown. These surgeries are subsidized by Health P. E. I. , meaning patients do not pay out of pocket. Some of the same owners of this clinic opened a private clinic for MRI scans in Summerside in 2025, which does allow patients to pay out-of-pocket. Meanwhile, new public investment for the construction of hundreds of long-term care beds has largely gone to private facilities in recent years. About 140 people gathered on a rainy July 22 to protest against health care privatization outside of a meeting of Canadian premiers in Charlottetown. Photo by Stu Neatby/The GuardianHealth P. E. I. , faced with shortages of nurses, has also turned to private staffing agencies. Spending on travel nurses grew from $28. 5 million in 2024-2025 to an estimated $41 million in 2025-2026. “We’re a little province of 170,000 people, but they’re soaking tens and tens of millions of dollars out of the public system here,” said Craig Walsh, P. E. I. regional director of the United Food and Commercial Workers. “So you can only imagine the scale in the bigger provinces. And the end goal of this is going to be that our health care is run by the same American companies. ”Craig Walsh, P. E. I. regional director of the United Food and Commercial Workers, addresses a rally held in Charlottetown July 22. Photo by Stu Neatby/The GuardianProtestors singled out the government of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Smith has put in place what is known as Bill 11, a law that allows doctors to perform both public and privately-funded surgeries. “What Alberta is doing is an existential threat to Canadian Medicare, not just for Albertans but for all Canadians, and we need to see a national response,” said Chris Galloway of Friends of Medicare Alberta. Health advocates like Galloway say the new law contravenes the Canada Health Act and are calling on Ottawa to step in. Chris Galloway of Friends of Medicare Alberta said Danielle Smith’s Bill 11 represented an “existential threat” to Canadian medicare. Photo by Stu Neatby/The GuardianVarious health leaders on P. E. I. , including former Health P. E. I. CEO Melanie Fraser, have argued that providing public dollars to specialized private operators is an efficient way to reduce wait times. Wait times for cataract surgeries do appear to have dropped in the province since the opening of the private clinic in Charlottetown. Half of P. E. I. patients needing the procedure received it within 94 days in 2025, compared to 353 days in 2024 according to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. However, it is unclear how much larger the bill has been for taxpayers. Health P. E. I. has told The Guardian it lacks the data to compare the per-surgery costs of this procedure in the year before the new clinic opened and the year afterwards. Andrew Longhurst, a senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said there is an “abundance of research” showing worse health outcomes from private hospitals or for-profit health providers. “It creates all of these additional costs to the public system, which has to then pick up the slack,” Longhurst said. Andrew Longhurst, a senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, speaks during a rally in Charlottetown on July 22. Photo by Stu Neatby/The GuardianLonghurst said research has shown greater transfers to emergency rooms from private long-term care homes “because they don’t have the higher staffing levels in place to support those seniors. ”He said the answer for the premiers is to renew their commitment to investment in the public system. “It comes down to the political will of, are you going to invest in the public system? Or are you going to use the argument that we simply we can’t do it and we just need to turn to private operators?” he said. Longhurst agreed with one argument made by the provincial and territorial premiers. He said the federal government should increase its share of health transfers to the province. He warned that provinces could lose $52 billion in health funding over the next 10 years once a federal health funding formula, which increased transfers by five per cent yearly, expires in 2027. Stay informed:Don’t miss the news you need to know. Sign up for our newsletter today. Stu Neatby is a political reporter for The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached atsneatby@postmedia. comand followed on X@stu_neatby. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more aboutcookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to ourTerms of UseandPrivacy Policy.