Long Wait Times, Overcrowded Hospitals, and Underfunded Care Are the New Normal
Ontario’s healthcare system is in crisis. Patients wait hours in emergency rooms, family doctors are increasingly hard to find, and frontline workers are burned out from years of understaffing and government neglect. Instead of fixing the problem, political leaders have allowed it to spiral out of control. How did we get here, and how can we ensure that every Ontarian has access to the healthcare they deserve?
How Government Neglect Has Led to Our Healthcare Decline
The Liberals (2013-2018) Left a System in Decline
For years, the Liberal government ignored the warning signs of a collapsing healthcare system. Under their leadership, hospitals faced chronic underfunding, long wait times increased, and privatization efforts quietly crept in, making it harder for Ontarians to access essential care.
Instead of making strategic investments in public health, they prioritized short-term political gains, leaving the system vulnerable to future cuts. The lack of investment in family medicine led to a growing doctor shortage while aging infrastructure in hospitals was left unaddressed. Their mismanagement laid the groundwork for the crisis we see today.
The PCs’ (2018-Present) Policies Are Worsening the Healthcare Crisis
Rather than repairing the damage left by their predecessors, the Progressive Conservatives have doubled down on harmful policies that prioritize privatization and budget cuts over patient care. Their relentless cost-cutting measures have pushed Ontario’s healthcare system to the breaking point.
Emergency room closures, hospital overcrowding, and an exodus of healthcare workers have left patients waiting longer than ever for essential medical care. Instead of investing in public healthcare, the current government has funneled resources into private, for-profit clinics that put corporate interests ahead of patient well-being. Their refusal to properly fund long-term care and home care services has left seniors and vulnerable populations at risk.
Ontario’s Healthcare System Is in Crisis
Emergency Rooms Are Overwhelmed: Patients are waiting hours, sometimes days, to receive urgent care due to severe understaffing and hospital overcrowding.
Family Doctors Are Harder to Find: More than 2 million Ontarians are without a family doctor, making it nearly impossible for many to receive preventive care or manage chronic conditions.
Nurses and Doctors Are Leaving the System: Healthcare workers are burned out from low wages, poor working conditions, and lack of government support, leading to staff shortages across the province.
Home Care and Long-Term Care Are Underfunded: Seniors and vulnerable individuals are being left without adequate care, forcing many into overcrowded hospitals or struggling to manage at home.
The Green Plan to Fix Ontario’s Healthcare System
The Ontario Greens have a bold, practical plan to strengthen our healthcare system and ensure every Ontarian receives the care they need.
- Invest in Public Healthcare, Not Privatization: We will stop the push toward for-profit healthcare and reinvest in the public system to ensure care is accessible to all, not just those who can afford it.
- Recruit and Retain Healthcare Workers: We will increase wages, improve working conditions, and fast-track credential recognition for internationally trained healthcare workers to address staff shortages.
- Expand Primary Care Access: We will increase funding for family doctors and nurse practitioners to ensure that every Ontarian has access to primary healthcare.
- Strengthen Mental Health and Addiction Services: We will expand publicly funded mental health care, ensuring that mental health services are treated as essential healthcare and covered by OHIP.
- Improve Long-Term and Home Care Services: We will increase funding for home care and long-term care facilities to allow seniors and those with chronic conditions to receive quality care in their communities.
By prioritizing patients, healthcare workers, and public investment, the Ontario Greens will rebuild Ontario’s healthcare system and put people before profits.
The Same Old Parties Won’t Fix This
🔵 The Progressive Conservatives Are Undermining Public Healthcare. The current government has made it clear that public healthcare is not their priority. Their policies have weakened the system, allowing private, for-profit healthcare providers to take over essential services. Their failure to address the staffing crisis has left hospitals short-handed and patients waiting longer for care. By cutting wages for nurses and freezing funding for public hospitals, the PCs have driven many frontline healthcare workers out of the system. If re-elected, they will continue their privatization agenda, making it harder for Ontarians to get the care they need.
🔴 The Liberals Failed to Invest in the Healthcare System. Despite claiming to support universal healthcare, the Liberals failed to make the necessary investments to keep Ontario’s system strong. Their decisions led to hospital overcrowding, a growing doctor shortage, and increased reliance on privatized healthcare services. Instead of addressing the root causes of these problems, they chose temporary fixes that did little to strengthen the system for the long term. Their neglect allowed the healthcare crisis to grow, leaving Ontarians vulnerable to the cuts that followed.
🟠 The NDP Have No Clear Plan for Healthcare. The NDP has spoken about improving healthcare, but they have failed to outline a clear, actionable plan to fix the system. While they criticize privatization and hospital underfunding, their policies lack the depth and strategy needed to enact real change. When given the opportunity to hold the government accountable, they have fallen short, failing to push for the urgent reforms that Ontarians need. Without a strong, detailed plan, the NDP remains an unreliable choice for fixing Ontario’s healthcare crisis.
✅ That leaves one choice—the Green Party of Ontario
Unlike the others, we aren’t beholden to corporate donors, lobbyists, or privatization schemes. We are the only party committed to fully funding public healthcare and ensuring every Ontarian receives the care they deserve.
This election, don’t settle for broken promises. Vote for the only party that puts patients and healthcare workers first. Vote Green—the only true strategic vote.
