Canada’s universal health-care model is faltering most visibly at the front lines of care, a new study reveals.  According to a new analysis from the Angus Reid Institute, half of Canadian adults now report that they either do not have a family doctor or face serious delays in seeing the one they have, a marked deterioration from a decade ago. This shift reflects an erosion of basic access that used to define the system.

The Angus Reid Institute’s latest data, drawn from a national survey of more than 4,000 respondents conducted late last year, shows that the share of Canadians facing these barriers has grown by roughly a quarter since 2015. The share of people who could get a timely appointment within a couple of days has shrunk sharply, even as spending on health care nationally has nearly doubled over the same period.

Behind these numbers is a demographic and workforce reality that political leaders have yet to reckon with: the supply of family physicians is struggling to keep pace with demand. Many doctors are retiring, fewer new graduates are entering broad-scope family practice and an aging population with more complex health needs is putting pressure on a system already stretched thin. Canadians report that these primary-care challenges ripple outward to other services, leaving patients caught in long waits for diagnostic tests, specialist appointments, surgery and even emergency treatment.

The public reaction captured by Angus Reid is unambiguous. Dissatisfaction with provincial health-care performance is widespread, and confidence that someone would receive timely care in an emergency has plummeted. Across regions, from Saskatchewan to Quebec and Atlantic Canada, large majorities lament worsening conditions, underlining a sentiment that universal access is no longer the lived experience for a growing share of the population.

Political leaders who claim the system is fundamentally sound will find little support in this dataset. Voters see the cracks for themselves in cancelled appointments, months-long waits and the very real sense that basic medical access has become a privilege rather than a guarantee. The question now is whether those in power will respond with structural reform or allow the system to deteriorate further.