New polling shows leading concerns include reducing specialist wait times, strengthening the health care workforce, and improving access to primary and emergency care.

With British Columbians heading to the polls on October 24, new polling commissioned by Doctors of BC, BC Family Doctors, and Consultant Specialists of BC shows that health care is the most important issue facing people across the province, reinforcing the need for parties to clearly outline their health care commitments during the provincial election campaign.

The Leger360 poll found 28% of British Columbians identified health care as either the most (15%) or second-most (13%) important issue facing BC, ahead of housing and affordability (26%) and the economy (23%).

When asked specifically about health care priorities

  • More than half (53%) identified reducing wait times for specialist care, diagnostic tests, and surgery as one of their top three priorities.
  • 49% of respondents said that recruiting and retaining doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals was a priority.
  • 48% identified improving access to family doctors and primary care, improving emergency department access, and reducing ER wait times as top of mind.

“This election is an opportunity for parties to put forward concrete plans to address the pressures facing our health care system and ensure the province has enough doctors to meet patients’ needs,” said Dr Adam Thompson, President of Doctors of BC. “There has been meaningful progress, but too many patients are still waiting too long for the care they need. British Columbians have been clear about where they want to see action, and they deserve to know how each party would address these challenges and strengthen health care across the province.”

“The message from British Columbians is clear: access to a family doctor is a priority in this election,” said Dr Birinder Narang, President of BC Family Doctors. “We need the next government to build on recent progress by supporting sustainable family medicine practices. Reducing administrative burden, ensuring family doctors are leading teams with connected tools and resources to provide ongoing, comprehensive care in every community are key to a healthy future.”

“British Columbians waiting for specialist care often see their conditions worsen, making treatment more complex and costly. It’s bad for both patients and the health care system,” said Dr Robert Carruthers, President of Consultant Specialists of BC. “Specialists need the ability to provide written advice to family doctors and the tools to make consultations more efficient. Family doctors also need reliable wait-time data to direct referrals. Doctors have proposed solutions, and addressing specialist waitlists must be a priority in this election.”

The survey findings closely align with four areas where Doctors of BC and its physician partners are calling for continued action: addressing specialist waitlists and shortages; ensuring British Columbians have access to a family doctor; improving access to emergency care; and strengthening rural health care and support for rural doctors.

Priorities for action

Specialist wait times: A coordinated, province-wide approach to reducing wait times, including better waitlist management, effective health workforce planning, improved data and digital referral processes, and the teams, tools, and resources specialists need to provide timely care.

Primary care access: Continued support for sustainable longitudinal family practice, reduced administrative burdens, and the teams and resources family doctors need to provide timely care.

Emergency care: Sustained investment to keep emergency departments open and improve timely access to care, increased hospital and community capacity (e.g. long-term care beds), and improved patient flow to reduce bottlenecks and delays.

Rural health care: Action to stabilize health care in rural and remote communities, including rural recruitment and retention, reliable core health services, better access to specialists, virtual care support, and safe, timely medical transport.

Doctors of BC, BC Family Doctors, and Consultant Specialists of BC will continue to advocate for these priorities throughout the provincial election and work with the next government to ensure doctors' experience and expertise help shape a stronger, more sustainable health care system.

About the poll

The online survey was conducted by Leger using its Canadian omnibus from September 25–27, 2026, with 1,003 British Columbians. The data was statistically weighted according to 2021 Census figures. Because the survey used a non-probability panel sample, a margin of error cannot be assigned; for comparison, a probability sample of the same size would have a margin of error of ±4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Media contact

Victor Young
Advisor, Communications and Media Relations
Doctors of BC
Tel: 604 638-2832
vyoung@doctorsofbc.ca