New survey suggests Canadians feel health-care system has deteriorated

CITYnews halifax / By Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press

TORONTO — A new survey suggests Canadians feel the health-care system has deteriorated over the last decade as they increasingly struggle to access family doctors and encounter hurdles to seeing specialists.

The Angus Reid Institute survey released Thursday compares the results of more than 4,000 respondents between Nov. 26 and Dec. 1, 2025 to a survey it conducted in 2015.

The latest results say half of respondents reported that they either don’t have a family doctor or struggle to see the one they do have.

That marks a 25 per cent increase in difficulty accessing a family doctor since 2015.

Research shows the number of family doctors is not keeping pace with demand as fewer physicians choose family medicine, many retire and the population grows older.

Fifty-five per cent of survey participants also said it’s difficult, very difficult or impossible to access an appointment with a specialist.

Seventy per cent of participants said the quality of the health-care system in their province has deteriorated in the past decade, despite the country’s spending on health-care nearly doubling in the same time span.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2026.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press