Regulations do not bring dual practice into compliance with Canada Health Act: Legal expert

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com A new legal opinion suggests Alberta’s dual practice health care model may violate federal law. The opinion, commissioned by the Canadian Health Coalition and released on parliament hill Tuesday, found the regulations developed to implement Bill 11 fail to prevent the bill from breaching the Canada Health Act. Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health The post Regulations do not bring dual practice into compliance with Canada Health Act: Legal expert appeared first on Medicine Hat News .

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on July 16, 2026. newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com A new legal opinion suggests Alberta’s dual practice health care model may violate federal law.

The opinion, commissioned by the Canadian Health Coalition and released on parliament hill Tuesday, found the regulations developed to implement Bill 11 fail to prevent the bill from breaching the Canada Health Act. Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services Adriana LaGrange has maintained the new model will fully comply with the Canada Health Act. “Health care will still be publicly funded.

No one will be denied access to the services they need because of an inability to pay,” she said at a June news conference. But the legal opinion produced by Goldblatt Partners LLC lawyer Emma Phillips finds the regulations do little to address concerns that introducing a parallel private stream will have a detrimental effect on wait times and quality of care in the public system. “Even if these regulations are ultimately implemented, the legislation will continue to contravene the Canada Health Act, including the requirements for uniform terms and conditions and accessibility, as well as the prohibitions on extra-billing and user charges,” concludes the opinion.

Friends of Medicare executive director Chris Gallaway was in Ottawa for the announcement. He hopes the federal government will intervene. “We need leadership from our federal health minister, including a clear commitment that she will protect the right of Albertans – and all Canadians – to equitable access to universal, comprehensive public health care,” he said.

“The bottom line is that without urgent federal action, come September, Albertans’ access to health care will be determined not by their need, but by their ability to pay.” In her only public statements regarding Bill 11 to date, federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel told the National Post she was concerned about the legislation, but that LaGrange assured her in an April conversation that the coming regulations would ensure the system abided by the act. Under the Canada Health Act, the federal government has the power to impose health transfer deductions on provinces that charge patients for core services.

More than 50 health care organizations and unions signed a letter to Michel and Prime Minister Mark Carney in April urging the federal government to block implementation of the parts of the bill that are interpreted as violating the act.