Dr. Devon Mitchell, a Vancouver-based resident emergency physician and spokesperson for the Canadian Doctors for Medicare, said he has “very little faith” that private, for-profit clinics owned by investors can provide efficient care.

“Because at the end of the day, if you’re delivering the same service but you have to carve off an extra five to eight per cent for your shareholders, there’s no way you can deliver that at cost,” he said. “Ultimately, you’re just getting the same care for a higher cost with less oversight because it’s happening in a private facility.”