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TORONTO – As Canadians continue to face long wait times and growing barriers to healthcare, the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), and SecondStreet.org will bring together doctors, journalists and health policy experts in Toronto on November 5 and 6 to explore practical solutions to the problems facing Canada’s overburdened healthcare system.

The Future of Healthcare Reform, the third edition of the Prescriptions for Health Reform conference series, will take place over two days at the Albany Club, and will examine how governments can improve access to timely, patient-centred care through innovation and lessons from successful systems.

Featured speakers include columnist and co-founder of The Line Matt Gurney, Globe and Mail health reporter and columnist André Picard, former Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil and surgeon and healthcare reform advocate Dr. Brian Day. 

Registration and the full conference program are available here.

Christine Van Geyn, Interim Executive Director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, said finding solutions begins with an open mind and a willingness to learn from what works.

“Canadians deserve better than a healthcare system that asks them to wait months and months for the care they need,” said Van Geyn. “We need to stop treating these delays as inevitable. Canada should be willing to learn from successful healthcare systems wherever they are found, and that requires an open exchange of ideas and evidence.”

Daniel Dufort, president and CEO of the MEI, explained improving access to care requires a rethink of how healthcare is organized.

“Simply giving more money to a system that’s failing so many Canadian patients won’t solve anything,” said Dufort. “It is only by getting the right incentives in place, through the right structures, that we can start to resolve our lack of access to care. This will be a key component in our discussions.” 

Colin Craig, president of the think tank SecondStreet.org, stressed the need to do something different.

“Canadians will continue to face longer and longer wait times unless we embrace what works in better-performing public healthcare systems, particularly those in Europe,” said Craig. “It’s time to import policies from those countries and that’s what we’ll be discussing.”