Data from the think tank SecondStreet.org indicates over 3.1 million Canadians are waiting for surgery, a diagnostic scan, or to see a specialist. That’s a rise of more than 140,000 since late 2022.

Saskatchewan, Quebec and Manitoba saw the best improvements. In Saskatchewan, the number of people waiting for surgery as of June and July of this year was down 17.4 per cent at 29,713 and those waiting for a diagnostic scan was down 8 per cent at 18,965. In Manitoba, the surgery wait list was down 20.9 per cent and in Quebec, the diagnostic scan list was down by 41.5 per cent.

The most recent data for each province can be seen in the table below:

Province Surgery Specialist Diagnostic Date
BC 91,821 (+3.4%) – – SEPT 14, 2023
AB 76,475 (+1.6%) 225,122 (N/A) 114,887 (+5.6%) SEP-OCT 2023
SK* 29,713 (-17.4%) – 18,965 (-8.0%) JUN-JUL 2023
MB** 7,040 (-20.9%) – 47,786 (-15.1%) AUG, 2023
ON 215,275 (-6.2%) – 661,747 (+43.8%) OCT 31, 2023
QC 157,331 (-2.1%) 817,542 (+3.0%) 413,823 (-41.5%) SEP-OCT 2023
NB 25,351 (-7.0%) – – SEP 30, 2023
NL 6,816 (-62.9%) – 78,761 (+52.5%) SEP-OCT, 2023
NS 20,116 (-23.4%) 29,007 (+3.0%) 82,834 (N/A) OCT ’23 / JUN ’22
PE – – – OCT 12, 2023
YT – – – NOV 15, 2023
NT 872 (+32.9%) 9,989 (+969.5%) 443 (+105.1%) NOV 2022/ JAN 2023
NU 717 (+13.4%) 2,297 (-39.1%) 123 (+310.0%) OCT 8, 2023
TOTALS: 631,527 1,083,957 1,419,369  
    GRAND TOTAL: 3,134,853 (+4.8%)

*Saskatchewan and Manitoba numbers accessed from public databases on Dec 13, 2023
**Manitoba only provides data for four types of surgeries and five types of diagnostic scans, so numbers are underreported