Its due to the governments defunding public healthcare in order to 'strangle it then save it'. You defund it, make people say 'it doesnt work', then say that "We need to privatize it."
Its de facto privatization method used since Reagan/Thatcher. Same method is being used in any country that ends up with a 'privatizing' government.
Public health is just difficult to fund. Especially on a shrinking population.
They only have two choices now:
* increase or keep immigration at the same rate
* decrease or eliminate benefits like socialized healthcare and social security
Increase productivity (per capita output), increase taxes, specifically pursue high income society development paths (including on who you allow to immigrate, such that high income immigrants promptly become high tax contributors).
Canada is more or less already doing this. They'll likely just have to boost taxation further.
You’re right about the other two either already happening or inevitable.
I’m having trouble finding the original statscan article, but according to their projections even if you drastically increase immigration even higher than it is today Canada will still eventually face a population decline. Immigration only slows down the decline. I can’t help but think that the world is experiencing a more subtle and slow version of Children of Men
Lastly, Canada's population isn't shrinking. It's growing, thanks to a sensible immigration policy (well, mostly sensible; not recognizing the credentials of healthcare professionals is pretty dumb).
Public healthcare is only difficult to find when your government's priority is to personally engorge on a gravy train powered by corruption. All of the issues facing the Ontario healthcare system are intentionally self-inflicted.
Sure, just be a socialistic/communist government and be able to finance the pension system while depending on US money (because there isn't any good alternative), once you go too much into debt and deal with IMF, and be sure not to defund important services (like medicine) when they ask you causing bank runs and bankrupcy. Easy, no?
Oh, and make sure there is no corruption that would cause funds to be mismanaged.
Why the hell would they depend on US money if they become a socialistic/communist government that channels its GDP to its people instead of channeling it to tax breaks for the rich.
> corruption
No problem - they can just legalize it under the name 'lobbying' like how US did it.
Indirectly, because they depend on petroleum/oil/gas. Sure your glorious government has to import energy or other fuel derived products. Not to mention imports don't magically teleport to your location, they also depend on oil to get shipped.
> No problem - they can just legalize it
That's just papering over the issue. Akin to saying we solved drunk driving by setting alcohol in blood to 50%.
There is no country in the world where public healtchare is failing without getting DEFUNDED intentionally.
You’re still down to some major choices:
* End immigration and end public benefits like healthcare
* Keep immigration and keep healthcare for now. Then pray that someone finds a solution someday to a shrinking population because immigration will only slow it down.
* Drastically increase taxes. This isn’t really a viable long term solution because in most places that have a lot of socialized benefits the taxes are already very high.