Good morning! Welcome back to Queen Street Analytics' weekly roundup of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements and other government-related news concerning healthcare providers, doctors, physicians, clinicians, pharmacies and pharmacists, dentists, and old-age care providers.

Every Monday, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Start Date: 2025-04-06
End Date: 2025-04-12

Top Headlines

Main Stories

Competition Bureau Advances Investigation into Express Scripts Canada

On April 11, 2025, the Competition Bureau Canada obtained a court order to advance an investigation into Express Scripts Canada. The investigation focuses on alleged anti-competitive practices, including patient steering through Preferred Provider Networks and margin squeezing that affects retail pharmacy competitors. The Bureau's actions are under the Competition Act's restrictive trade provisions, aimed at preventing abuse of dominance and harmful business agreements.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Study on Workforce Renewal in Health Occupations Released

Statistics Canada released a study on April 10, 2025, examining workforce renewal in health occupations from 1998 to 2024. The study highlights a significant increase in the number of health workers, doubling from nearly 800,000 to just under 1.7 million. This growth underscores the sector's response to the rising demands of an aging population in Canada.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

New Data on Diagnostic Services at Medical Laboratories

A new data set released on April 11, 2025, reveals the number of diagnostic services delivered, including MRIs, CT scans, and ultrasounds, categorized by billing type and patient provincial insurance coverage. This data provides insight into healthcare access and service delivery across different regions, which may influence future policy adjustments.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: open.canada.ca

Important Updates

Secondary Stories

Amount Billed to Insured Patients for Select Services

Statistics Canada's latest data set, released on April 11, 2025, details the total amount billed directly to patients for medically necessary services, segmented by provincial insurance coverage.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: open.canada.ca

Functional Difficulties of Children Aged 2 to 4 Years, and 5 to 17 years

New data outlines functional difficulties in young children, covering domains like seeing and hearing, providing a basis for healthcare policy adjustments.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: open.canada.ca, Open Government Data Set: open.canada.ca

Frequency of Healthcare Services in Minority Languages

This data set explores the frequency of healthcare services obtained in minority languages, highlighting language barriers in healthcare access.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: open.canada.ca

Provincial Announcements

New Brunswick Expands Family Health Team

The Fredericton Northside Community Health Centre is expanding its team to include more physicians and nurses, aiming to accommodate 1,600 additional patients.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www2.gnb.ca

Lamèque Health Team Expansion

Lamèque Hospital's family health team has expanded, adding new staff to improve primary healthcare access and reduce emergency service pressure.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www2.gnb.ca

Manitoba Enhances Primary Care in Melita

Manitoba is investing in front-line staff at Melita Health Centre, extending service hours and adding healthcare professionals to improve access.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.gov.mb.ca

Ontario Seeks Proposals for Primary Care Expansion

Ontario launches a call for proposals to expand primary care teams, aiming to connect 300,000 more residents to healthcare this year.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.ontario.ca

Quebec Considers Medical Specialty Regulation Amendments

Quebec is reviewing draft regulations on medical specialties, with potential government approval expected after May 24, 2025.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.quebec.ca

Manitoba Introduces Advanced Care Paramedic Program

Manitoba launches advanced care paramedic program in rural areas to enhance emergency response capabilities and support healthcare recruitment.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.gov.mb.ca

Saskatchewan Launches U.S. Physician Recruitment Campaign

Saskatchewan launches a campaign to recruit U.S. physicians, promoting career opportunities and lifestyle benefits in the province.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.saskatchewan.ca

Moncton Hospital Unveils New Obstetrics Unit

Moncton Hospital announces a new obstetrics and newborn care unit, providing advanced care in a modern environment, to open later this spring.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www2.gnb.ca

Public Officials' Social Media

MP Irek Kusmierczyk on Expanded Dental Coverage

MP Irek Kusmierczyk tweeted about the Liberal party's commitment to expand dental coverage to over 9 million uninsured Canadians.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

MP Vance Badawey Visits Senior Homes

MP Vance Badawey discussed healthcare access and community engagement with residents at Portal Village Retirement Home and St. Charles Senior Home.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

MP Larry Brock Supports Drug Recovery Funding

MP Larry Brock highlighted Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre's commitment to fund treatment for 50,000 Canadians in recovery.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

MP Hedy Fry Criticizes Conservative Health Policies

MP Hedy Fry criticized Conservative health policies, warning of potential regression in healthcare rankings under a Poilievre government.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

Senator René Cormier on World Health Day

Senator René Cormier emphasized global health commitments on World Health Day, highlighting the importance of maternal and infant care.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

Senator Stan Kutcher on World Health Day

Senator Stan Kutcher marked World Health Day with a reminder of the need for quality maternal and newborn care, strengthening communities.

Sources: Social Media: x.com

What We're Reading This Week

• Public healthcare is a national crisis. So why isn't it an election priority?: Discussion on the crisis of public healthcare and its absence from election priorities.
• Now’s the time to maximize the economic potential of public health care: An exploration of economic strategies for public healthcare maximization.