More than 2.5 million people in Ontario currently don’t have a family doctor and that number is set to rise to well over 4 million in just a few short years – if we don’t act now. The lack of primary care is putting tremendous pressure on our hospitals, ERs in particular.
Ontario Liberals will invest $3.1 billion to ensure everyone has a family doctor by 2029 to improve people’s health outcomes and ease pressure on the system. We will:
- Educate, attract and retain thousands of new domestic and internationally trained family doctors.
- Improve the Ontario Health Team network, using it to massively expand access to family doctors practicing in teams close to your home within four years.
- Modernize family medicine, put an end to fax machines once and for all, and make appointments available on evenings and weekends.
- Make sure no one has to choose between using a walk-in clinic and having a family doctor.
Ontario’s Liberals will end hallway healthcare. We will:
- Help hospitals hire and retain the staff they need
- Pay all nurses and PSWs a living wage so we can train and retain the support our system needs to provide care. Instead of fighting our healthcare workers in court over unconstitutional wage freezes Bonnie Crombie will fight to keep nurses, PSWs, and other healthcare workers in our public system.
- Ensure wage parity across the system so that regardless of whether you work for a hospital, in-home care, or in long-term care, you’re paid a fair, living wage.
- Invest in hospital infrastructure, including hospital repairs and expansions, as part of our plan to build Ontario’s economy and prepare us to withstand looming tariffs from the United States.
Ontario Liberals will protect our public healthcare system from American-style privatization. We will:
- Crack down on Ford’s for-profit health care by regulating temporary nursing agencies.
- Bring nurse practitioners (NPs) into the public system and ban private-pay NP clinics.
- Investigate Ford’s privatization plans, including a full review of Health Minister Sylvia Jones’ mandate letters.
Ontario Liberals will expanding mental health & addiction services. We will:
- Introduce universal mental health care under OHIP, covering conditions like anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
- Expand team-based care with evening/weekend appointments, integrated home care for seniors, and accessible mental health services for children and youth.
- Provide wraparound support to help people recover from addictions, including rapidly building supportive housing units.