Commentary
By Mackenzie Moir and Nadeem Esmail

Canadians continually see news stories about provincial governments struggling to provide timely medical care, and about Canadians seeking care abroad. And who could blame these medical escapees for wanting to look after their own medical needs in a timelier manner?

The wait times situation in Canada is dire. Last year, the median wait between doctor referral and treatment was 28.6 weeks, the second-longest wait ever measured and more than triple the wait in 1993. And Canada has some of the longest waits in the developed world despite having some of the highest levels of health-care spending.

This raises a key question: How many Canadians choose to leave Canada for health care?

A few numbers. Last year, according to a survey of medical specialists, almost 2.1 per cent of Canadian patients travelled abroad for care. Our new study, which combines this finding with the number of procedures performed across the country, estimates that 105,529 Canadians travelled abroad for care in 2025. Ontarians, British Columbians and Albertans led the pack, with the largest number of Canadians departing for urology care, general surgery and internal medicine.

And yet, this estimate is likely conservative. It’s based on survey responses from specialists and may not count patients who leave Canada without waiting to consult a specialist. Other estimates, using different methodologies, suggest the number of Canadians leaving Canada for medical care could be much larger.

Remember, these patients leave their homes, the support of family and friends, and open up their pocketbooks for medical treatment. This means they actually pay twice for health care—once through their taxes in Canada and again for their care outside Canada, in addition to travel costs to receive that care. One can only wonder how many more Canadians would seek care outside the country if they could afford it.

Wait times are not the only reason Canadians seek health care abroad. Some want to access more advanced health-care facilities, higher tech medicine or a chance at better outcomes. And some Canadians may get sent abroad by the public system because of a lack of available resources or because their local providers do not offer some procedures or equipment.

Of course, medical tourism (seeking care abroad) is not unique to Canada. But patients in every other country with universal health care can access alternatives to the government system in their own countries, on their own terms, and with their own resources when the universal system is unwilling or unable to meet their needs. Today in Canada, only Quebecers can access some alternatives to the government system at home, although thanks to proposed reforms from the Alberta government, Albertans may also soon have this option.

Again, Canada has some of the longest wait times in the developed world alongside high spending levels and prohibitions on privately purchased care. Other countries have shorter wait times in part because of the additional resources and competition created by a private alternative to the universal system. Canada’s prohibitions on private health care not only force patients to travel outside their province for an alternative, they also make access worse for patients who can’t afford to leave.

Last year, nearly 106,000 Canadians travelled and paid to escape the Canadian health-care system, which speaks volumes about how well the system is working for them. A better health-care system would reduce the reasons Canadians want to leave and allow them to purchase care privately at home.

Mackenzie Moir is a Senior Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute while Nadeem Esmail is the Director, Health Policy, Fraser Institute.