More doctors, easier licensing: Health ideas from Canada’s parties you may have missed
While health care hasn’t taken centre stage in the 2025 federal election, candidates recently brought it back into focus, unveiling platforms that spotlight key health issues — from the need for more family doctors to better access to mental health support.
The Liberal platform, released by the party’s leader, Mark Carney, on Saturday, touches on health care with proposals to hire more physicians and create a national licensing system so doctors and nurses can move easily from province to province to address shortages.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh released his party’s platform on Saturday. The platform includes several health care commitments, such as promising that every Canadian can access primary care and a family doctor by 2030.
Then, on Tuesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre unveiled his party’s platform, which includes adding more doctors and support for Canadians with special needs.
Last month, Global News interviewed health care experts from across Canada to break down the biggest challenges in the system — and what federal leaders could do to help fix them.
The top concern? Access to primary care. Experts pointed out that around 6.5 million Canadians don’t have a regular family doctor, leaving many to rely on walk-in clinics or overcrowded emergency rooms.
To address these issues, experts suggested making it easier for doctors to work across provincial and territorial lines so they can better respond to patient needs. They also called for a faster process to licence internationally-trained doctors, so they can start practicing in Canada more quickly.
Another key issue was protecting reproductive rights and addressing health misinformation, from vaccine hesitancy to growing distrust in the health care system.
Here’s a look at the main health care points from each party’s platform.
The Liberal platform includes a wide range of health-related commitments, with a focus on primary care access, workforce support and modernizing care.
A key part of the platform focuses on strengthening the health care workforce. That includes a promise to add thousands of new doctors by expanding medical school and residency spots, along with speeding up the credentialing process for internationally-trained professionals.
Another major proposal is the creation of a national licence for physicians and nurses. This would make it easier for health workers to move between provinces and territories, helping to fill gaps and respond more quickly to staffing needs across the country.
To help bring care closer to home, the platform includes a new-practice fund aimed at making it easier for family doctors to open clinics in underserved communities. This support would help cover startup costs like clinic space, medical equipment and new technologies.
The platform also promised a $4 billion investment to build and upgrade hospitals, clinics, and other community health infrastructure. This funding would go toward expanding access to team-based care, including mental health services and purchasing medical equipment like MRIs.
The platform promises to make the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund permanent, so there’s always funding for abortion care in Canada — especially in underserved communities where access can be limited.
It also includes plans to launch a new in vitro fertilization (IVF) program that would cover up to $20,000 for a standard cycle. The stated goal is to make fertility treatments more affordable, particularly for 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians, who often face a longer and more expensive road to parenthood.
The NDP platform centres on better access to primary care, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and dental care and expanding access to mental health services.
The NDP is promising that every Canadian will have access to primary care and a family doctor by 2030. Their plan includes a national strategy to hire and keep more doctors, nurses and other health care professionals.
To help deal with the doctor shortage, the party wants to boost federal health transfers to provinces by one per cent — but only for those that commit to taking action and publicly reporting their progress.
They’re also on board with creating a pan-Canadian licensure, just like the Liberals, so health care professionals can more easily work where they’re needed most across the country.
The NDP also opposes privatized health care. They’re pledging to stop “American-style” privatization and keep Canada’s health system public, which includes blocking United States companies from buying up Canadian clinics and keeping health care off the table in trade deals.
To improve mental health care, the NDP plans to launch a new program to cover services like therapy and counselling for people who don’t have workplace benefits.
The party is also promising to expand funding for crisis support and addiction care, so more people can get help when they need it.
The Conservative platform focuses on growing the health care workforce by adding more doctors and making it easier for qualified professionals to work in Canada.
The party said it’s also committed to honouring existing agreements like pharmacare, maintaining current dental care coverage and protecting universal public health care.
The Conservatives are proposing a plan to cut red tape and help skilled Canadians and newcomers join the workforce faster.
The plan includes creating nationally-recognized licences for key professions like doctors and nurses, offering small loans to help newcomers complete their certification, and fast-tracking the recognition of U.S.-certified health professionals.
The platform also said it is aiming to add 15,000 new doctors by 2030.
The Conservatives are pledging to boost support for Canadians with special needs. Their plan includes funding 1,000 autism support worker training spots each year. The party also plans to double the reach of the Ready, Willing and Able program, helping 4,000 Canadians with autism or intellectual disabilities find and keep jobs.
The platform reaffirms the Conservative Party’s position that it will not introduce any laws or regulations to restrict abortion.
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