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Articles by Bacchus Barua
Opinion: England’s Michaela model offers education lessons for Canada Original
Skip to Content Students at a London, U.K. school that has gone back to basics get results rivalling those of peers at England's most famous private schools The example of Michaela Community School in the U.K. demonstrates the importance of traditional approaches to instruction and discipline, values generally supported by most Canadian parents “Hooray!!” That was the one-word tweet from Katharine Birbalsingh, “Britain’s strictest headmistress,” as students at the Michaela Community School,...
Ottawa should cheer, not impede, Canada’s much-needed health-care reform
Commentary 2 September 2026 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith makes a health-care announcement in Calgary, July 27, 2026. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press. Canada’s dual-practice debate needs a dose of common sense Table of Contents Alberta is proposing dual-practice legislation for physicians to work in both public and private settings. The federal health minister has expressed concerns about the compatibility of this proposal with the Canada Health Act.
Opinion: Canada's hospitals do poorly in online reviews
Our new paper for SecondStreet.org finds that in reviews they post with Google, Canadians give the country's major hospitals an average score of just 2.88 stars out of five. Many of us would take a pass on a restaurant with such a low score, but we often have no choice when it comes to our hospitals. We looked at nearly 9,000 comments left by patients on Google Maps reviews for 84 major hospitals, with each having at least 30 reviews.
Opinion: K-12 education needs change and choice Original
Skip to Content A new poll shows Canadians don't like the direction schools have taken in recent years. They want to go back to the basics in reading and math An empty classroom at a school in Belleville, Ont. Canadians have long entrusted their children’s education to public schools. Unfortunately, new data suggest the vast majority think government-run K-12 systems have lost their way and need to return to their roots.
Canada’s Maternal Care Malady
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Canadians Are Ready for Health-Care Reform, and It’s Time for Politicians to Get on Board
An ambulance parked outside Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal on May 6, 2025. An ambulance parked outside Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal on May 6, 2025. The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi Health-care reform is often considered the “third rail” of Canadian politics—a reference to an electrified line on train tracks best left untouched. However, a new survey suggests that the Canadian public is ready for reform, and it’s time for politicians to get on board.
Danielle Smith (finally) delivers health-care reform
Commentary 3 December 2025 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Matt Jones, Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, make an announcement in Calgary, Nov. 14, 2025. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press. 2025 will go down as a watershed moment for Canadian health care, courtesy of Wildrose Country. The combination of reforms announced by the Smith government this year represents a bold reclamation of provincial jurisdiction while respecting the federal Canada Health Act (CHA).
Opinion: Health care must become more responsive to seniors’ needs
Advertisement 1 A silver tsunami is hitting the health-care system, which needs better incentives, including more private input, to keep up with demand Article content By Bacchus Barua Sign In or Create an Account Article content As the average age continues to rise in Canada, it is more important than ever to ensure seniors receive timely access to quality health care.
Bacchus Barua: Premier Smith’s medicare moonshot deserves a round of applause
It’s important to give credit where due: Premier Smith deserves to be applauded for her decision to fundamentally improve how hospitals are paid in Alberta.
Bacchus Barua: Premier Smith needs to depoliticize hospital funding. Here’s how to do it
Publicly funded private clinics in Alberta have recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Earlier this month, the (now former) CEO of Alberta Medical Services, Athana Mentzelopoulos, alleged she was fired by the Smith government partly after launching an internal investigation into the contracting process for these facilities.
Feds quash private healthcare alternatives
Commentary By Bacchus Barua This will come as no surprise to most Canadians, but our provincial governments are struggling to deliver timely access to health care. Unfortunately, a recent announcement by Mark Holland, the federal health minister, will likely further restrict the few private alternatives available to patients who are failed by the public system. First, some quick context.
BARUA and HILL: Enough dithering, Danielle — time to fix health care in Alberta
Advertisement 1 • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Shortly after Danielle Smith was sworn in as premier, she warned Albertans it would “be a bit bumpy for the next 90 days” on the road to health-care reform. Now, more than two years into her premiership, the province’s health-care system remains in shambles.
Opinion: Time for action as Canadians face longest health-care waits on record Original
Just when you thought Canadian health care had hit rock bottom, wait times reach an all-time high. According to the latest annual wait times report published by the Fraser Institute, in 2024 the median wait from referral by a family doctor to treatment, averaged across 10 provinces and 12 medical specialties, including surgeries, is now 30 weeks — the longest wait in the report’s history and more than three times longer than the 9.3-week median wait in 1993, the first year of the survey.
Steven Globerman and Bacchus Barua: Premier Legault plans to fine Quebec doctors. Here’s why his horribly short-sighted plan is bound to backfire
The Legault government recently tabled a bill that would force new Quebec-trained doctors to spend the first five years of their careers working in Quebec’s public health network. New doctors who choose to work in the private sector or move to another province would face fines of up to $200,000 per day.
AI could help solve Canada’s shortage of family doctors
One of the main problems with Canada’s health-care system is the dearth of family doctors. The growing popularity of artificial intelligence raises an interesting question—can AI help solve Canada’s physician shortage? According to a 2023 Unity Health Toronto survey, approximately 20 per cent of Canadians do not have a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner compared to less than 5 per cent of residents in Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.
Canada has fewer doctors, hospital beds, MRIs and among longest wait times than other countries with universal health care
COP29 International Climate Change Event Concept. Baku, Azerbaijan By The deal may already be moot with Donald Trump returning to the White House The international COP29 conference finished over the weekend with multinational pledges to spend billions of dollars over the next decade combating “climate change” in third world nations, amid expectations that the agreement will be rendered moot by former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Bacchus Barua and Mackenzie Moir: Philpott should act on instincts and promote Dutch-style health-care reform in Ontario
The Ford government has appointed Dr. Jane Philpott, former federal health minister in the Trudeau government, chair of a “new primary care action team” in Ontario. During her three-year term as federal health minister, Philpott openly acknowledged the failures of Canadian health care and expressed interest in lessons from abroad.
Mackenzie Moir | Fraser Institute
Senior Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute Mackenzie Moir is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Fraser Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from York University and a Master of Science in Health Policy and Research from the University of Alberta. Mr Moir has previous clinical experience and has provided direct care in general medicine, palliative care, cardiology, oncology, and neurology settings.
Canadians are ready for health-care reform-Australia shows the way
By Bacchus Barua and Mackenzie Moir Australia offers real-world examples of how public/private partnerships can be successfully integrated in a universal health-care framework. Not only does Australia prove it can be done without sacrificing universal coverage for all, Australia spends less money (as a share of its economy) than Canada and enjoys more timely medical care. Canada’s health-care system is crumbling. Long wait times, hallway health care and burned-out staff are now the norm.
Other countries with universal health care don’t have Canada’s long wait times
From the Fraser Institute By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua Unfortunately it’s now very common to see stories about how long provincial wait times for medical care are driving patients to seek care elsewhere, often at great personal cost. Take the recent case of the Milburns in Manitoba who, after waiting years for a knee surgery, are now considering selling their home and moving to Alberta just to get on a potentially shorter public wait list.
BARUA: Revealing your annual bill for public health care Original
• You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content According to a recent survey by Statistics Canada, almost half of Canadians said rising prices are affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses. At the same time, Canadians are increasingly aware of their significant tax burden, with 74% feeling the average family is overtaxed.
Here’s your annual bill for public health care
By Bacchus Barua Notably, the amount paid by the average family has increased by 239.7 per cent since 1997 (the first year of available data). According to a recent survey by Statistics Canada, almost half of Canadians said that rising prices are affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses. At the same time, Canadians are increasingly aware of their significant tax burden, with 74 per cent feeling the average family is overtaxed.
Virtual care will break the Canada Health Act-and that’s a good thing
By Bacchus Barua The leadership of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is facing sharp criticism for its recent proposal to effectively ban private payment for virtual care. In a clear example of putting politics before patients, this would only erect additional barriers for those seeking care. Moreover, it’s a desperate bid to cling to an outdated—and failed—model of health care while underestimating modern-day innovations.
Government meddling contributes to doctor exodus in Quebec
By Bacchus Barua and Yanick Labrie They have not left Quebec’s health-care system but rather have opted out of the province’s publicly-financed framework to provide care to their patients privately. Quebec’s health minister recently came under fire after reports revealed a record number of physicians left the province’s public system to practise privately. Less discussed are the reasons why physicians made this choice.
Column: Canada should learn from Australia’s health-care system
Advertisement 1 • • Article content Faced with record-high wait times, a majority of Canadians support partnerships between the government and private sector to deliver publicly funded health care. And yet, advocates for the status quo — including the Trudeau government and several high-profile politicians — continue to criticize such arrangements. Public/private partnerships are the norm in many successful universal health-care systems worldwide.
MOIR AND BARUA: Canada should learn from Australia’s health-care system Original
• • Article content Faced with record-high wait times, a majority of Canadians support partnerships between the government and private sector to deliver publicly funded health care. And yet, advocates for the status quo — including the Trudeau government and several high-profile politicians — continue to criticize such arrangements. Public/private partnerships are the norm in many successful universal health-care systems worldwide. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Australia’s universal health-care system outperforms Canada on key measures including wait times, costs less and includes large role for private hospitals
The Role of Private Hospitals in Australia’s Universal Health Care System by Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, provincial governments across Canada relied on private clinics in order to deliver a limited number of publicly funded surgeries in a bid to clear unprecedented surgical backlogs.
B.C. government sends patients to U.S. while fighting private options in B.C.
By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua Among universal health-care countries, after adjusting for age, Canada ranked highest for health-care spending as a percentage of the economy in 2021 (the latest year of available comparable data). The problem is how we do universal health care The recent ordeal of Allison Ducluzeau, a wife and mother from Victoria who spent more than $200,000 out of pocket to seek life-saving cancer treatment in the United States, has been widely shared on social media.
OPINION: Canada needs new strategies to combat health-care wait times
• Article content Despite the valiant efforts of health-care workers across the country, Canada’s health-care system is in shambles. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account? Create Account Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team.
OPINION: Canada needs new strategies to combat health-care wait times
Advertisement 1 Trending Trending Trending Trending Trending • • Article content Despite the valiant efforts of health-care workers across the country, Canada’s health-care system is in shambles. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account? Create Account Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team. We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua: Sending patients to U.S. for treatment not a long-term solution to our health-care woes
Advertisement 1 Trending Trending Trending Trending Trending Opinion: The same government that sends B.C. patients across the border for care has fought against private options in the province. • • Article content The recent ordeal of Allison Ducluzeau, a wife and mother from Victoria who spent more than $200,000 out-of-pocket to seek life-saving cancer treatment in the U.S., has been widely shared on social media. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Canada’s health-care wait times hit 27.7 weeks in 2023-longest ever recorded
Alberta’s Review Panel recognized the inadequacy of orthodoxy by showing that what may have begun in early 2020 as a healthcare emergency quickly became something else with broader and more important impacts than a large number of sick persons (which only “experts” were allowed to count, anyhow).
Canadians get poor value for our health-care dollars
Guest Commentary By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua Earlier this year, the Trudeau government announced it would increase health-care spending to provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next decade. However, patients hoping for improved access will likely be disappointed. In reality, Canada’s health-care system already ranks as one of the most expensive systems in the world, but only has mediocre results to show for it.
Canadians get poor value for our healthcare dollars
Guest Commentary By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua Earlier this year, the Trudeau government announced it would increase health-care spending to provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next decade. However, patients hoping for improved access will likely be disappointed. In reality, Canada’s health-care system already ranks as one of the most expensive systems in the world, but only has mediocre results to show for it.
Canadians get poor value for our health-care dollars
Guest Commentary By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua Earlier this year, the Trudeau government announced it would increase health-care spending to provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next decade. However, patients hoping for improved access will likely be disappointed. In reality, Canada’s health-care system already ranks as one of the most expensive systems in the world, but only has mediocre results to show for it.
Canada remains poor performer among countries with universal health care
By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua Canada reported far fewer physicians (ranking 28th of 30) and hospital beds (23rd of 29) per 1,000 people in 2021. And ranked low for the availability of MRI machines (25th of 29) and CT scanners (26thof 30) per million people in 2019 Earlier this year, the Trudeau government announced it will increase health-care spending to provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next decade. But patients hoping for improved access will likely be disappointed.
HILL and BARUA: Provinces should learn from Quebec and expand use of private health-care clinics
Trending Trending Trending • • Article content In Canada, the average wait time between seeing a general practitioner and receiving care was 27.4 weeks in 2022. That’s 18.1 weeks longer than in 1993, when wait times were first recorded, and 6.5 weeks longer than in 2019, before the onset of COVID. In response, several provinces, including Alberta, B.C. and Ontario, have increased the use of private clinics to perform publicly-funded surgeries.
OP-ED: Canada remains poor performer among countries with universal health care
The Trudeau government announced earlier this year it will increase health-care spending to provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next decade. But patients hoping for improved access will likely be disappointed. In reality, Canada’s health-care system already ranks as one of the most expensive systems in the world but only has mediocre results to show for it. In other words, the problem isn’t the amount of money we spend – it’s the poor value we get for our health-care dollars.
How we fund hospitals holds the key to health-care reform
The Hub’s first annual Hunter Prize for Public Policy, generously supported by the Hunter Family Foundation, focused on solving the problem of long wait times in Canada’s health-care system. A diverse group of ten finalists have been chosen from nearly 200 entries, with the finalists and winners chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, including Robert Asselin, Dr. Adam Kassam, Amanda Lang, Karen Restoule, and Trevor Tombe.
More money won’t fix our health-care problems
Commentary By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua The majority of Canadians believe the health-care system has deteriorated over the past 10 to 15 years, and are “not convinced that money is enough to solve the crisis,” according to a new poll recently released by the Angus Reid Institute. Indeed, 66 percent of respondents believe “there are bigger challenges that money can’t fix.” Clearly, Canadians know that money is not the problem.
Health-care reform in Ontario would help patients and the economy
The Ford government has frequently promised to reduce wait times for surgeries and help encourage economic growth. But according to research published by the Fraser Institute, these goals are closely connected. If Premier Ford can make good on his promise to cut wait times, it will not only be good news for patients, but also for the province’s economic performance. There are good reasons for the Ford government to make health-care reform a top priority.
BARUA & PALACIOS: Canadians already pay ‘membership fee’ for health care
According to recent reports, a private clinic in Alberta had been planning on charging families an annual $4,800 membership fee for various health-care services including access to family doctors.
Canadians wait much longer for drugs than Americans and Europeans
Canadians have access to fewer new drugs than Americans and Europeans, and consequently may endure undue suffering from ailments and disease. And we wait much longer for drugs that are approved here. For once, this unfortunate situation has little to do with bureaucratic lethargy but rather hostility governments and public agencies have shown towards the biopharmaceutical industry.
A stunning indictment of BC’s health care system
Guest Commentary By Bacchus Barua and Mackenzie Moir British Columbia has a new strategy to reduce wait times for cancer care—simply ship patients south of the border. No joke; over the next two years, the Eby government will use Canadian taxpayer dollars to pay clinics in Washington to provide 24,000 sessions of radiation treatment (plus travel and accommodation) for an estimated 4,800 British Columbians.
A stunning indictment of BC’s health care system
Guest Commentary By Bacchus Barua and Mackenzie Moir British Columbia has a new strategy to reduce wait times for cancer care—simply ship patients south of the border. No joke; over the next two years, the Eby government will use Canadian taxpayer dollars to pay clinics in Washington to provide 24,000 sessions of radiation treatment (plus travel and accommodation) for an estimated 4,800 British Columbians.
OPINION: Health-care wait times cost Canadians billions of dollars Original
Published May 17, 2023 • 2 minute read A scrub nurse prepares surgical instruments in an operating room at Belleville General Hospital in Belleville, Ont., April 28, 2014. Photo by Luke Hendry /Postmedia Network Article content While the pandemic is now squarely behind us, Canadian governments remain unable to deliver timely access to medically necessary elective (a.k.a. scheduled) surgical care. And a new study reveals the economic costs of these wait times on patients and the economy.
OPINION: Health-care wait times cost Canadians billions of dollars
Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content While the pandemic is now squarely behind us, Canadian governments remain unable to deliver timely access to medically necessary elective (a.k.a. scheduled) surgical care. And a new study reveals the economic costs of these wait times on patients and the economy. Advertisement 2 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
BARUA and HILL: Premier Smith opts for federal health-care dollars over meaningful reforms
Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. For someone who just last year asked the federal government to "butt out" of provincial jurisdiction while emphasizing the need for structural health-care reform, Smith sure seems willing to roll out the welcome mat for Ottawa.
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