Healthcare

Stimulate thought, conversation, and produce educational information on the biggest challenges facing Canada today and tomorrow.

Healthcare in Canada

The Canadian health care system is modelled on a decentralized, universal, and publicly-funded framework. It is administered primarily by the country’s 13 provinces and territories, and provides coverage for approximately 70 percent of necessary medical needs for all citizens and permanent residents. While the system was initially established through federal legislation passed in 1957 and 1966, those acts have since been consolidated and replaced by the Canada Health Act, passed in 1984, creating the legislative framework upon which the current health care system is built. 

ambulance in lights

Public Policy in Canada

The Better Canada Institute (BCI) is a start-up think tank that aims to fill the gaps in our public discourse, bridge the divide between the public, academics, and policy makers, and develop creative, evidence-based solutions to the significant problems facing our nation.

BCI is an incubator of ideas, policy, and important conversations. Each month, we will bring together top leaders and professionals from across Canada to engage with some of the most important policy conversations facing our communities and our country. We strive to make public policy in Canada accessible to all levels of interest. 

Latest Research

newest publications

Funding the Healthcare System Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

Funding the Healthcare System Post COVID-19 Pandemic   Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed labour markets, stock markets, education systems, government apparatuses, and most notably the healthcare system to uncomfortable limits. However,...

Impacts of Urbanization

Impacts of Urbanization on Economic Development in Canada   Executive Summary An unintended consequence of urban-rural migration occurs when the proportion of a given urban area increases, creating a corresponding decrease in rural ways of life....

Cannabis Legalization in Canada

Legalization of Cannabis in Canada     Executive Summary In the fall of 2018, Canada became the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to legalize the production, distribution, sale, and possession of recreational cannabis – making it the...

History of Healthcare in Canada

History of Healthcare in Canada     Executive Summary The British North America Act of 1867 assigns taxation authority mainly in the federal government sphere, while management of Canada's healthcare systems remains under the provincial and...

Guest Opinions

Featured