E-Book – Life After COVID: What’s Next for Canada?

With the mass vaccination campaign to immunize the Canadian population now well underway, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is hopefully in sight. As we emerge from this crisis, it is vital that we ask ourselves how we can rebound and rebuild so that our systems are better able to respond, not only to future crises, but to Canadians’ day-to-day needs.

The Montreal Economic Institute is one of five organizations calling for a timely examination of our collective finances, health care systems, options for economic growth, and more in the free e-book entitled “Life After COVID: What’s next for Canada?”

Krystle Wittevrongel, Public Policy Analyst at the MEI and author of chapter 3 on health reform, details how Canadian health care was falling short even prior to the pandemic. Canada spends more on health care as a share of GDP than many other high-performing OECD countries with universal systems and better health outcomes. In light of the new pressures the system faces due to COVID-19, pouring more money into an expensive and underperforming system is not the answer. It is high time to introduce structural reforms aimed at enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of our health care systems across Canada. The chapter discusses several health reform options, including measures to address our growing surgical backlog and reduce patient suffering, all while respecting the universality of the system.

Read the e-book (in PDF format)