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The debate over the future of Canada’s public healthcare system has been underway in British Columbia for some time. At the core of the debate is the role of the private sector in delivering medically necessary diagnostic and surgical services. Can increased private sector involvement enhance the ability of the public system to deliver improved health outcomes or would it, as some fear, do irreparable damage to the public system?

The long-awaited Supreme Court of Canada decision in Chaoulli v. Quebec (Attorney General) is the first of its kind to consider in depth the constitutionality of Canada’s public single-tier health care system and it has potentially profound implications for the way in which health care is delivered in Canada.

The future of Canada’s publicly funded and managed health care system is arguably the most pressing public policy issue in the country today, reflected in the numerous commissions and studies initiated across the country by various governments.