Addressing Ontario’s growing doctor shortage must be a key part of an imminent provincial election, opposition parties say, resisting Premier Doug Ford’s push to frame the vote primarily as a fight against U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariff threats.
The Ontario Liberals, New Democrats and Greens all say images coming out of Walkerton, Ont., last week, where hundreds of people waited in the cold for the chance to get a family doctor, illustrate the government’s failings on the important file.
The battle to establish the political narrative headed into the campaign comes as a senior PC source confirms to CBC News that Doug Ford plans to call a provincial election next on Jan. 29. That would have Ontarians going to the polls Feb. 27
Liberal health critic Dr. Adil Shamji said Ford has been trying for weeks to build a convincing argument to call a snap vote, but the situation in Walkterton illustrates how the election must be about more than just Trump’s tariffs.
“Doug Ford wants to talk about Trump and tariffs because he doesn’t want to talk about his failures on health care, on housing, on cost of living,” he said. “The reality is that for whatever he says, Doug Ford does not get to choose the ballot question.”
More than 1,000 people lined up in the snow in Walkerton, Ont., on Wednesday to try to get a family doctor — but only the first 500 would be successful.
Last week, people started lining up at 2 a.m. outside of a Royal Canadian Legion in Walkerton for the chance to be one of 500 patients of a new doctor in the community. Many in the crowd spoke of having to endure long waits at local hospital emergency departments for something as simple as a prescription refill.
Others spoke of difficulties getting needed surgeries or referrals to specialists without first being in the care of a primary doctor.
Number of Ontarians without family doctor to grow
The Ontario Medical Association has warned 2.5 million people across Ontario don’t have a family doctor and that number will grow to more than 4.4 million people by 2026.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles says the scene in Walkerton shows how desperate people are for a family doctor. And while Trump’s tariff plan, if it is enacted, will be devastating to the province, the government’s inability to solve the doctor shortage over the last six and a half years speaks volumes, she said.
“The people that I’m talking to are telling us that the daily struggles that they have right now, they cannot continue along these lines,” she said. “They don’t trust Mr. Ford to protect their jobs because they can’t trust Mr. Ford to deliver a family doctor.”
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said under Ford’s watch, Ontario’s healthcare system is on “the brink of collapse”.
“Greens have a plan to repair the damage by hiring more doctors and nurses, funding our hospitals and addressing barriers to access, especially in rural and northern areas,” he said.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones declined an interview request from CBC Toronto. Her spokesperson Hannah Jensen said in a statement the PC government has increased its investment in connecting people to primary care by 50 per cent.
The province also appointed Dr. Jane Philpott to lead its new primary care action team with a mandate of connecting every person to a primary care provider over the next five years, she added.
“We have launched the largest medical school education system expansion in 15 years, made historic investments to stand up more primary care teams (and) break down barriers for internationally-trained doctors,” Jensen said.
Scenes like The Hunger Games: OMA president
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Dominik Nowak says the province’s physicians are hopeful the doctor shortage becomes a focal point of the coming election. He called the situation in Walkerton heartbreaking, likening it to the film the The Hunger Games.
“We need a government that acknowledges the reality of our situation and commits to building towards a healthcare system that people can rely on and be proud of again,” he said.
President of the Ontario College of Family Physicians Dr. Jobin Varughese said he too his hopeful the debate will be prominent during the campaign and that there will be a focus on solutions.
Key among them would be lightening doctors’ administrative workload, new AI that helps with note-taking and providing the support of other heath care practitioners in a team setting.
At the moment, the province is falling short, he said.
“We need more, we need faster, and we’re in a situation where we need every Ontarian to have access to a family physician,” he said.
