Alberta’s controversial Bill 11 allows some physicians to provide publicly covered care while offering some privately paid services.
Aug. 16, 2026
Raisa Patel
Toronto Star
OTTAWA — Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel has warned Alberta she is troubled by the province’s controversial dual-practice law, saying she does not see how the model can operate within the bounds of the Canada Health Act (CHA).
Michel told the Star she had written to her Alberta counterpart, Adriana LaGrange, in recent weeks to share that she is “very concerned” about the law.
The minister’s concern is the clearest sign so far of the Liberal government’s unease with the Alberta legislation, a broad health-care law known as Bill 11 that allows some physicians to provide publicly covered care while simultaneously offering some privately paid services.
“Why did I send the letter? Because for sure, dual practice, I don’t know how it can work within (the Canada Health Act),” Michel said in an interview.
Michel’s office would not share a copy of the letter with the Star, but a federal source with knowledge of the file summarized its contents.
The source said the missive conveyed to LaGrange that the law, as proposed, may breach two of the federal health act’s core criteria — comprehensiveness and accessibility — and that Michel is calling for “ongoing, targeted discussions” with Alberta to “mitigate any misalignment with the CHA.”
Read more at the Toronto Star (paywall)
