Alberta is Not An Island: Bill 11 and the Attack on Canadian Medicare

The Council of Canadians and the Canadian Health Coalition are team up to host a webinar about the dangers that Bill 11 poses to public healthcare in Alberta and across the country, featuring health policy expert Andrew Longhurst, Friends of Medicare executive director Chris Gallaway and Ann Lagacé-Dowson of the Canadian Health Coalition.Andrew Longhurst is a senior researcher and political economist, with a focus on health policy, at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He has written several analyses of Bill 11 and its implications for Canadian Medicare. His commentaries appear regularly in news media across the country. The webinar will examine the forces behind this privatization drive and discuss what the federal government could do to stop Bill 11.Chris Gallaway is the executive director of Friends of Medicare (Alberta), an experienced community organizer and advocate for public health care. Friends of Medicare has hosted dozens of town halls on Bill 11 in the past few months and has become the leading force in the fight against Premier Danielle Smith’s drive to institute two-tier, U.S.-style healthcare in the province. This webinar was held to build support for a Day of Action for Public Health Care on Monday, March 16, 2026, coordinated by health coalitions across Canada. Over a dozen in-person demonstrations will be held in communities from coast to coast urging the federal government to enforce the Canada Health Act. For more information, check out the Canadian Health Coalition's website.The corporate assault on public healthcare won't stop at Alberta's borders, if Smith's plan is allowed to go ahead. This legislation puts public healthcare at risk across Canada by setting a dangerous precedent that other provinces could follow. So far, however, the federal health Minister Marjorie Michel has been totally silent.