Are there really multi-year waiting lists to see a doctor in Canada? Specialists and new gp appts or all regular visits? Usually it's 2-6 mo for new patients (specialist or popular gp) here in the US. I didn't think Canada was much worse than that.
Although it's not easy to find a good doctor that you like, there are family doctors available for new patients even in busy cities like Toronto. Specialists might take a while to book (assuming it's not serious). Emergency rooms are always available (although you may have to wait a few hours if it's not really time-sensitive). Labs can be booked same day and may have a bit of a line up but you can get those for free too (for most types of tests).