Party Platforms: The future of healthcare after the federal election

Update, April 23rd, 12:45 p.m.: This story was updated to include details of the Liberal Party’s healthcare platform, released April 22nd.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — With the 2025 Canadian federal election less than four weeks away, political parties are releasing their political platforms.

These platforms cover topics such as housing, energy, healthcare, climate action and economics. 

The deadline for candidate applications to Elections Canada passed on April 7th, and five candidates were confirmed and announced for the Prince George, Peace River and Northern Rockies riding: David Watson of the People’s Party of Canada; Mary Forbes of the Green Party of Canada; Cory Longley of the New Democratic Party; Peter Njenga of the Liberal Party and incumbent MP Bob Zimmer of the Conservative Party of Canada. 

Ahead of the April 15th all-candidate forum in Fort St. John, Energeticcity.ca will be exploring the policies of each party running a candidate in the Prince George, Peace River and Northern Rockies riding. 

Liberal Party of Canada

In an April 22nd press release, the Liberal Party marked healthcare as “one of Canada’s most important sources of national pride and identity,” and reiterated its intention to modernize and protect the healthcare system. 

“We must protect and build the institutions that make us strong,” party leader Mark Carney said. 

“My new government will invest in our public health care system to add thousands of new doctors, build new hospitals and deliver better mental health services. 

“We will build a stronger Canadian healthcare system.”

The party’s healthcare plan says it would add “thousands” of new doctors to the Canadian workforce by expanding existing medical schools and building new ones, as well as recruit doctors through a new “global recruitment strategy” that would streamline credential recognition for internationally-trained healthcare professionals. 

The party’s plan entails investing $4 billion into constructing healthcare infrastructure, and $500 million towards the Emergency Treatment Fund to “confront the toxic drug and overdose crisis.”

Women’s health was also specifically addressed in the plan, with the Liberals promising to ensure consistent funding for abortion care across Canada by making the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund program permanent and creating a new, affordable in vitro fertilization (IVF) program. 

Conservative Party of Canada

In an April 6th press release, the Conservative Party pledged to expand drug recovery programs across the country to support “freedom from addiction” for Canadians. 

Drug recovery treatment would be funded for 50,000 Canadians in treatment centres across the country that have a “proven record of success at getting people off drugs.”

“Where spaces in good treatment programs exist, we will use them, and where they need to expand, these funds will allow that,” the party stated. 

New Democratic Party (NDP)

The NDP has released a plan to “ensure every Canadian has a family doctor” by 2030 in an April 5th press release.  

“The Canada we are proud of was built by people who believe that healthcare should be there for you when you need it—not just when you can afford it,” party leader Jagmeet Singh said. 

To support “closing the gap” in healthcare across the country, the NDP details an increase of one per cent in Canada Health Transfer funding to provinces which “deliver on guaranteed access to a family doctor and primary care.” 

The party also proposes streamlining the process for American doctors to come to Canada, with special focus on those in women’s and reproductive health, and sponsoring residencies for “internationally trained doctors living in Canada.” 

Green Party of Canada

The Green Party emphasizes improving the country’s current universal healthcare system, especially for those seeking family doctors, senior and mental health care. 

The party’s platform emphasizes an expansion on “what Medicare covers,” making medicine free for Canadians through universal pharmacare, and subsidized dental and mental healthcare for those unable to afford it. 

The party also states it would expand home and community care, invest in public healthcare and ensure access to reproductive care across the country. 

“Our goal is simple: a well-funded universal health care system that puts people first, not profits,” the party says. 

People’s Party of Canada (PPC)

The People’s Party of Canada (PPC) has stated it would repeal the Canada Health Act and allow provincial and territorial governments to establish mixed private-public systems of healthcare. 

“They will be fully responsible for healthcare funding and management, and fully accountable to their citizens for the results, while [the federal government] will respect the [Constitution Act] and stop meddling,” the party’s plan states. 

The party also specified intentions for the federal government to remove the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and “let provincial and territorial governments occupy the fiscal room.”

The PPC would also create a temporary program to compensate struggling provinces who have lower tax revenue, and replace the Canada Health Transfer cash payments with “a permanent transfer of tax points of equivalent value.” 

This article is one in a series Energeticcity.ca will be publishing featuring the platforms of each of the major political parties involved in the 2025 Canadian federal election.