According to a report released by SecondStreet.org on January 15, government data shows that an 15,474 patients in Canada died in 2023-24 while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic procedures.
However, the true number may be even higher. Several provinces provided incomplete data or failed to track this issue altogether.
If missing provinces reported similar rates, SecondStreet.org estimates the real death toll could be 28,077—nearly double the confirmed figure.
“Thousands of Canadians find themselves on waitlists—in some cases for several years,” said Harrison Fleming, policy director at SecondStreet.org.
Healthcare wait times across Canada
Meanwhile, a Fraser Institute report on healthcare wait times found that the median wait time for treatment in Canada hit a record 30 weeks.
The worst delays were in the Atlantic provinces, where patients in P.E.I. waited 77.4 weeks, New Brunswick 69.4 weeks, and Newfoundland and Labrador 43.2 weeks.
The report states that Canadians wait an average of 15 weeks to be referred by a general practitioner, followed by another 15 weeks to see a specialist and receive treatment.
Across Canada’s 10 provinces, the Fraser Institute estimates that patients were waiting for 1.5 million procedures in 2024 alone.
