During a campaign stop in St. John’s on Saturday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh committed that an NDP-led federal government would ensure every Canadian has access to a family doctor by the year 2030. To incentivize provinces, Singh announced that his government would increase Canada Health Transfer payments by one per cent for those jurisdictions that successfully guarantee primary care access.
Calling attention to Canada’s ongoing health care challenges, Singh emphasized that access to care is fundamental to the Canada Health Act and warned that the country is on the verge of losing the core of its public health system. The NDP estimates that over 6.5 million Canadians are currently without a family physician.
Before Singh outlined the plan, two seniors shared their struggles with the health system, including a recent 17-hour emergency room wait due to the lack of a family doctor. Singh said such stories reflect a broken system that must be fixed.
To bridge the gap, the NDP proposes hiring up to 7,500 new family doctors and creating team-based care models. Provinces receiving the funding top-up would need to publicly report progress and outcomes. Singh also wants to make it easier for American doctors—especially those specializing in women’s and reproductive health—to practice in Canada immediately.
The NDP’s proposal includes funding for 1,000 new family medicine residency placements for internationally trained doctors already in Canada and removing licensing and testing fees to encourage them to stay in underserved communities. Singh also pledged to implement pan-Canadian licensure to allow healthcare professionals to work across provinces as needed.
The plan would also address healthcare access in Northern communities by improving housing and medical infrastructure for primary care teams and reducing the administrative burden on healthcare professionals—like time spent on sick notes—to free up time for patient care.
Singh said the strategy involves tapping into thousands of internationally trained doctors already in Canada and expanding the domestic medical workforce. The approach also highlights greater use of nurse practitioners and other healthcare providers to ease pressure on the system.
Promising more health-related commitments as the election progresses, Singh referenced the NDP’s success in securing dental care and the early stages of universal pharmacare in the previous minority Parliament. While the plan did not come with a specific cost estimate, Singh said the one per cent transfer boost is necessary and justified.
