Carney Oversaw For-Profit Hospitals. Now He’s Quiet on Canada’s Public System « Canada’s NDP
VANCOUVER — Jagmeet Singh is calling on Liberal Leader Mark Carney to come clean about his role in for-profit health care—and to commit, without hesitation, to enforcing the Canada Health Act and stopping the privatization of Canadian health care.
While Carney claims that “health care is not a business,” his record says otherwise.
As Chair of Brookfield Asset Management, Carney oversaw one of the largest private hospital operators in Australia – Healthscope -a company that cut corners, underpaid staff, and failed patients, while sending billions in profits back to North American investors.
“Mark Carney’s firm cut corners, underpaid staff, and made a fortune while care declined,” said Singh. “Now he won’t even commit to enforcing the Canada Health Act. Canadians deserve to know—does he plan to cut $28 billion from health care and treat our hospitals the same way Brookfield did overseas?”
A 2025 audit found Healthscope was failing basic safety standards under a public-private hospital deal. At the same time, Brookfield shipped over $2.5 billion in profits to North American investors and underpaid workers by at least $21.7 million.
Carney has proposed $28 billion in cuts, including to health transfers—and when asked if he would enforce the Canada Health Act against Alberta-style privatization, he dodged the question saying he would “work with provinces.”
“The man who chaired a global privatization machine won’t say if he’ll stop it here,” said Singh. “Canadians shouldn’t have to guess where their Prime Minister stands on public health care.”
Here in Canada, the Canada Health Act bans extra billing—but not for-profit delivery. If Carney brings the same corporate playbook to Ottawa—through cuts, loopholes, or by refusing to enforce the rules—we could see more private deals, deeper staffing shortages, and a slow erosion of the public care Canadians count on.
Singh issued one clear demand:
Will Mark Carney stop companies like his own from profiting off Canadian health care—by enforcing and strengthening the Canada Health Act?
- New Democrats will:
- Enforce the Canada Health Act—penalizing provinces that violate it
- Ban American companies from buying Canadian health services
- Deliver full universal pharmacare, starting with diabetes medication and birth control and expanding to essential medicines within one year
- Stop backdoor privatization through P3 hospital deals
- Guarantee access to a family doctor or care team by 2030
- Tackle the nursing shortage by hiring more nurses and improving working conditions
“Mark Carney made money off failed for-profit care,” said Singh. “We won’t let him bring that model to Canada—or leave the door open so Trump can demand a piece of our public health care.”