Dr. Tara Kiran, lead investigator in the OurCare Survey 2025 and scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital

Access to primary care in Canada is slowly improving, but survey data shows that nearly 6 million adults across the country still lack access to a regular family doctor, nurse practitioner, or primary care team – down from 6.5 million since 2022.

Survey data also reveals concerning gaps in access to care that vary substantially across demographic groups, and people without a regular clinician reported discrimination when trying to access primary care.

The OurCare Survey 2025, led by St. Michael’s Hospital in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), is published online today. The survey provides a clear picture of how Canadians’ experiences with primary care compare to the OurCare Standard — a framework of six essential elements that define what every person should expect from the primary care system. The OurCare Standard was developed in consultation with 1000s of patients and members of the public.

The survey shows that 83.5% of women have a regular clinician, compared to just 79.4% of men and only 72.7% of those identifying as another gender. Other results show that 84.9% of people earning $200,000 or more annually reported having a regular clinician compared to 69.6% of those earning less than $20,000. 

People with a family doctor or nurse practitioner reported challenges accessing care. Only 37% said they could be seen the same or next day when they had an urgent concern.

“People in Canada believe everyone in this country should have access to high-quality primary care regardless of their background and where they live,” said Dr. Tara Kiran, lead investigator and scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital. “Results from our survey show we are making progress towards this goal but that we still have a far way to go. I hope results from our survey motivate governments across the country to redouble their efforts to improve access to care and for people in this country to demand better.” 

The survey also reports data on access to health records, cultural safety and community accountability — elements of care that people said were important to them but are often overlooked in health system reporting. Strikingly, only 27.8% of respondents reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with how the primary care system in Canada is working. 

“These findings confirm what physicians and patients across Canada are experiencing daily. While we’ve made progress, too many Canadians still face unacceptable barriers to primary care,” said Dr. Margot Burnell, CMA President. “We can do better. We know the solutions. Access to care for all Canadians is a realistic and achievable goal now. ” 

Key findings from the OurCare Survey 2025 are summarized in the report “Is Canada’s Primary Care System Measuring Up? Results from the 2025 OurCare National Survey” published on the OurCare website.

By Canadian Medical Association

Photos by OurCare

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