The failure is access, not quality of care. An extract from a delivered briefing.
$10,439
Health spending per person in B.C., 2025, against $9,626 nationally (CIHI).
32.2 weeks
Median elective wait, referral to treatment, against 19.2 in Ontario (Fraser Institute).
1.26 million
British Columbians without a primary care provider, April 2026 (B.C. Ministry of Health).
Waiting is the rationing device
Hospitals and health authorities run on a global budget: a fixed annual envelope based on last year plus a negotiated increment. An extra hip replacement or inpatient day is a cost against that ceiling, not a claim the hospital can bill, so operating-room time and staffed beds are held to the funded volume.
The full briefing follows the money from the Ministry of Health's appropriation to the operating room, compares Ontario, Alberta and Quebec, and sets out what Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland do differently.
Spending in Canadian dollars (CIHI, 2025 forecast). For international comparison, OECD reports 2024 spending in US dollars at purchasing-power parity: Canada US$7,301 per person, OECD average US$5,967. Doctors and beds: OECD Health at a Glance 2025.