Remarks for the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health at the C.D. Howe Institute on Health and Economic Prosperity: Opportunities for Canada

April 30, 2026 | Toronto, ON

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Good afternoon everyone.

It is a pleasure to be here.

Thank you, Leatitia, for the kind introduction.

As well as the C.D. Howe Institute for inviting me.

399 billion dollars.

That's the total health care spending in Canada in 2025.

That's nearly $1,000 per Canadian.

And close to 13% of our total GDP.

Health care is one of Canada's fastest growing sectors.

It's 3.5 million jobs across the country.

And about 15% of Canada's labour force in 2024.

Health is really not a cost to be managed.

Nor a workforce issue.

Health care is a real investment in our economy and in Canadians.

We cannot build Canada Strong without healthy Canadians.

Our universal, accessible, public health care system is a Canadian value.

One that will always remain and keep the true north, strong and free.

And something everyone in this country should be proud of—In principle.

We should acknowledge our health care system is under real stress.

So.

How do we leverage our investments in our health care system to build our economy and protect the Canada Health Act?

How do we create a regulatory environment that will attract investments, while protecting the health and safety of Canadians?

Those are the questions I will try to answer, today.

Let's start with our universal public health care system and the economic benefits of prevention.

Prevention has different faces:

• Healthy life habits.
• Sports.
• Having regular check-up with your family health team.
• Sleeping well.
• Taking care of our mental health.

Prevention is also investing in people from the start.

And, as we know, child poverty is closely linked to physical and mental health issues.

Investing in the social determinants of health—and not just in treatment—is essential.

Because prevention often starts at home and at school.

So we created opportunities…

… investing in measures like Early Learning and Childcare, the Canada Child Benefit and the National School Food Program.

In Québec, childcare alone has raised the province's GDP by 1.7%.

With the Canada Child Benefit, we lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.

And while our National School Food Program is still relatively new, we know it is making a real difference in the future of our children.

Just two days ago, in the Spring Economic Update, we announced an investment of 755 million dollars in sport, from playground to podium.

Those investments are investments in our youth.

They are key to Canada's future and success.

And, as we know, investing early is just the smart thing to do.

Prevention also involves dental care.

About 1% of emergency room visits are related to non-traumatic dental problems.

To put it simply: 1% of emergency room visits are caused by people's inability to afford to go to the dentist.

And they probably waited until they could no longer bear the pain.

In 2014, this cost our healthcare system $1.8 billion.

That is why we have established the Canadian Dental Care Plan.

As a result: more than 6.5 million Canadians are now covered.

The Canadian Dental Care Plan is saving billions of dollars to provinces and territories, in ER visits and emergency treatments.

And it is saving Canadians about 900 dollars a year in dental care.

But it is also improving our overall productivity by having more people going to work instead of waiting in hospitals.

Still, more is needed.

You know, I travelled across the country and two things came up over and over:

• Mental health;
• And men and boys' health.

The economic cost of mental illness alone could be as high as 65 billion dollars annually, or 4.4% of our GDP.

Improving men's health, and boys' health, could save us 12.4 billion dollars every year and drastically increase our productivity.

Not addressing those issues has massive direct and indirect economic costs.

And, in a time of uncertainty, we simply can't afford to leave anyone behind.

We want to build Canada Strong.

And we need everyone's contribution.

This is why we launched a national conversation on men and boys' health.

We want to hear from all Canadians about how we can help men and boys succeed.

Based on what we hear, we will launch Canada's first federal Strategy on Men and Boys' Health, later this year.

But, as you know, governments alone cannot do everything.

This is why we need the leadership and the partnership of the private sector.

While governments account for more than 70% of healthcare spending, the remaining 30% is borne by the private sector.

Companies must create an environment where everyone can thrive.

With wages that ease the financial stress faced by so many Canadians.

With the flexibility young people need to start a family.

But prevention, well-being, wellness, quite often, are not enough.

We still need hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and medications.

But, currently, our health care system is not working for everyone.

So how to make it more efficient?

We need to strengthen team-based care models…

improve access to preventive care…

and enable health care providers to practice to their full scope.

This means making targeted investments…

… in health infrastructures,

… in training,

… in integrating internationally educated health professionals,

… and in labour mobility.

Only with a robust health workforce in place, can we deliver quality care and increase our productivity.

But again, this, alone, won't be enough.

If you think we are going to solve this solely by increasing funding or hiring more doctors…

Well…

Think again.

We need to rethink how services are delivered.

We have to make better use of data, technology and AI to improve the efficiency and quality of care.

Let's start with data.

Why must a patient from Sydney, Trois-Rivières, Peterborough, Regina or Victoria gets a printed copy of their file to bring to a specialist in Halifax, Montréal, Toronto, Saskatoon or Vancouver?

Why is a nurse practitioner using a fax to send a referral to a specialist?

Because our systems are not connected.

In addition to the enormous inefficiencies it causes, this situation also makes Canada less attractive to investors.

The systemic inefficiency of our health data infrastructure costs us billions of dollars every year.

And even more so in terms of lost productivity.

With Bill S-5, the Connected Care for Canadians Act, we are changing the rules.

The Bill is now in the Senate, and will hopefully go to the House next week.

And we are building the health-data infrastructure Canadians deserve.

We will make sure that a medical diagnosis or lab result is coded consistently.

So, in the future, it will have the same meaning and remains accurate across jurisdictions.

The Connected Care for Canadians Act is also about safety.

By adopting common standards, including security standards, we will ensure health care data serves patients.

Better health data infrastructures also mean that we will be able to leverage the full potential of digital tools, including AI.

Our health care system, 3 years from now, will be completely different, because of AI.

In just a year, as minister of Health, I have seen so many innovation on the ground.

AI is creating a world of possibilities for our health care system that is transforming the way we are providing care.

Let's just think about improving diagnostics;

Supporting ER triage;

Hospital planning;

And remote monitoring.

AI scribes are already reducing administrative burden for more than ten thousand primary care providers, thanks federal support.

This is one of the largest scribe implementations in the world.

Actions like these are helping to build a stronger, modern and efficient health care system.

One that works for everyone and is ready for the future.

As you know, global dynamics continue to change.

As PM Carney said in Davos:

"When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself".

So we need to build a strong domestic economy.

We need to adapt.

And the health sector needs to be central to this effort.

So, how do we create an environment to develop, produce and commercialize drugs domestically, in Canada?

And how can we reduce red tape for farmers while ensuring the safety of our food chain?

It starts with a regulatory system that both inspires confidence and allows companies to invest in Canada.

One that is timely, predictable, and science-based.

A regulatory system exempt from unnecessary red tape.

With this in mind, we are modernizing regulations, cutting red tape, improving transparency, and streamlining drug approval processes.

We have increased our review capacity.

We are modernizing how we regulate clinical trials.

And we are pushing to do more in Canada.

We are aligning with trusted partners and like-minded countries to accelerate time to market.

We are doing that with great results.

For example, last fall, in Laval, we celebrated the first domestically produced COVID-19 vaccine by Moderna.

And, only 2 days ago, Canada becomes the first G7 country to approve a generic version of semaglutide.

We need more of this.

And we are taking steps at the federal level to make it happen.

Last month, we launched the Pharma Task Force.

This Task Force regroups more than two dozen senior leaders and experts from the pharmaceutical industry.

They are working to identify barriers to growth and innovation in that sector.

With their help we can make our policy and regulatory environment more agile.

The ultimate goal is to increase competition…

… and to support reliable and sustainable access to pharmaceutical products in Canada.

The same applies to our food sector.

Canada produces the best wheat and beef in the world.

But our farmers are facing climate change, extreme weather events, pest infestations…

By rethinking its authorization processes, Health Canada has become a key partner for farmers.

And we achieve this while ensuring the safety of our food supply chain.

Yesterday, I attended an event from Croplife Canada, the first time a Canadian Minister of Health to do so.

They asked me why?

Because, as the minister responsible for CFIA and pesticide management, it is my responsibility.

Lastly, research.

To have the future we want, we need to build and invent more of what we need.

Research remains the main tools to achieve that.

And just like Canada is attracting internationally trained healthcare professionals…

… we are also attracting global talents with an investment of more than 1.7 billion dollars in Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative.

By attracting international talents…

By supporting Canadian institutes…,

Canadian Universities…,

Canadian scientists…,

…we will make sure the next generation of life-saving drugs and vaccines is developed and manufactured here.

In Canada.

With greats talents, better clinical trials, fast-tracked approvals, and the best workers in the world, Canada will become the reliable pharmacist the world needs right now.

We are at a turning point.

We need to make the smart choices.

We need to build on our strengths to lead our country with confidence into its next chapter.

As we claim our place in the global economy, our commitment to health is going to be one of our greatest assets.

By making smart investments and targeting our actions to where the opportunities are greatest, we can have an enormous impact.

And that is exactly what we are doing.

We are welcoming investments by reducing the administrative burden of doing business here.

We are collaborating with provinces and territories…,

with local and global partners…

tostrengthen health security and economic resilience.

And, in partnership with provinces and territories, we are modernizing our health care system, so that it works efficiently and meets the needs of everyone.

While managing health care costs is always front-of-mind, we need to see these costs as an investment — in ourselves and in our future.

If we act now, we can make sure that Canada's health sector is a source of stability, a catalyst for productivity, and a solid foundation for prosperity.

This is the only way we can build Canada strong.

Thank you.