Over 23,000 Canadians DIED while on wait-lists for medical care under socialized heatlh system: report

The organization compiled the data using freedom-of-information requests submitted to more than 40 provincial and territorial health agencies. Several jurisdictions released only partial numbers, while Alberta and areas of Manitoba provided none.

As a result, the report states the true national total is likely higher. “No government reports publicly on patients dying on waiting lists,” said SecondStreet.org president Colin Craig.

Ontario reported the highest number of deaths at 10,634, including more than 9,100 cases involving patients who died before receiving or being scheduled for surgery. Quebec recorded 6,290 deaths, while British Columbia reported 4,620. Other provinces reported smaller totals ranging from 121 in New Brunswick to 727 in Nova Scotia. Manitoba listed 215 deaths, though the data set was incomplete.

The report includes multiple examples of patients who died while waiting for care. It highlights the case of Manitoba resident Debbie Fewster, who was advised in July 2024 that she required heart surgery within three weeks. She waited more than two months and died on Thanksgiving Day. Similar cases were previously documented in Ontario and Alberta.

SecondStreet.org notes many of the deaths occurred among patients waiting for procedures aimed at improving quality of life—such as hip and knee replacements, cataract surgeries, and MRIs.

A significant portion involved potentially life-saving interventions, including cardiac care and cancer-related treatment. Ontario’s cardiac data showed 355 deaths among patients awaiting heart procedures, at least 90 of whom waited beyond recommended timelines.

Despite record levels of health spending, $244 billion from 2024 to 2025, with per-capita funding nearly triple that of the mid-1990s—the report argues system performance has not improved. It cites research indicating Canada continues to have fewer doctors, hospital beds, and MRI machines per capita than comparable universal health-care systems.