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Research & Investigations

Explore our groundbreaking reports that uncover the truth about Canada’s health care system, education and other government policy areas. We do original research to hold the government accountable and provide a roadmap for common-sense reform.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: All Provinces Need Greater Transparency Around Life-Saving Surgery

February 19, 2026
New SecondStreet.org research examines transparency around waitlists for life-saving surgery.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Significant Number of Students and Youth Continue to Support Socialism

December 31, 2025
A new SecondStreet.org research survey examines the opinions of university students and youth on socialism.

Health Care

POLICY BRIEF: Died on a Waiting List (2024-25 Edition)

November 26, 2025
New research from SecondStreet.org shows that more Canadians continue to die on medical waitlists.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Another Poll Shows Canadians Support Health Care Reform

November 17, 2025
SecondStreet.org hired Leger to poll Canadians about health care reform. Support is still strong for several major changes to the health system.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: A Closer Look at Hospitals’ Google Reviews

October 30, 2025
New SecondStreet.org research delves into the performance of Canadian hospitals by examining Google reviews.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Alberta’s Charter School Students Earn Top Marks

October 22, 2025
New SecondStreet.org research shows that charter school students in Alberta perform better than students in government-run schools.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Health Care Partnerships and Hospital Funding

October 2, 2025
New SecondStreet.org research breaks down how activity-based funding is necessary to make public-private health partnerships work.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Updating Canada’s Health Act to Allow for Choice

May 14, 2025
A new SecondStreet.org report examines the changes needed to the Canada Health Act to allow patients to pay for private health care.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Debbie’s Law ‒ A Simple Policy to Save Lives

March 12, 2025
A Manitoba family is sharing the story of their mother who died on a waitlist. This has inspired SecondStreet.org to push governments to adopt Debbie's Law.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: High Demand for Private Health Insurance in Canada

March 5, 2025
A new SecondStreet.org report shows that Canadians are interesting in learning more about or buying private health insurance.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Died on a Waiting List (2023-24 Edition)

January 15, 2025
New research from SecondStreet.org shows that more Canadians continue to die on health care waitlists.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Examining Cardiac Waiting List Deaths in Ontario

November 18, 2024
New research from SecondStreet.org shows that Ontario patients are dying while waiting for heart surgery, examines the data, and projects where the numbers will be if there is no policy change.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Another Poll Shows Canadians Want Health Reform

November 4, 2024
A new SecondStreet.org poll once again shows that Canadians are hungry for health reform, while also shedding light on a big problem with the system.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Can Cross-Border Healthcare Be the Safety Valve for Waiting Lists in Canada?

September 11, 2024
A new MEI and SecondStreet.org report examines the European Union's Cross-Border Directive and how it could help Canadian patients get care more quickly.

Research

Policy Brief: Investigating the Chinese Government’s Harassment of Chinese-Canadians

August 26, 2024
A new SecondStreet.org report shares stories from Canadians who have been harassed and targeted by the Chinese government.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: All Provinces Need Greater Transparency Around Life-Saving Surgery

February 19, 2026
New SecondStreet.org research examines transparency around waitlists for life-saving surgery.

Health Care

POLICY BRIEF: Died on a Waiting List (2024-25 Edition)

November 26, 2025
New research from SecondStreet.org shows that more Canadians continue to die on medical waitlists.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Another Poll Shows Canadians Support Health Care Reform

November 17, 2025
SecondStreet.org hired Leger to poll Canadians about health care reform. Support is still strong for several major changes to the health system.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: A Closer Look at Hospitals’ Google Reviews

October 30, 2025
New SecondStreet.org research delves into the performance of Canadian hospitals by examining Google reviews.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Health Care Partnerships and Hospital Funding

October 2, 2025
New SecondStreet.org research breaks down how activity-based funding is necessary to make public-private health partnerships work.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Updating Canada’s Health Act to Allow for Choice

May 14, 2025
A new SecondStreet.org report examines the changes needed to the Canada Health Act to allow patients to pay for private health care.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Debbie’s Law ‒ A Simple Policy to Save Lives

March 12, 2025
A Manitoba family is sharing the story of their mother who died on a waitlist. This has inspired SecondStreet.org to push governments to adopt Debbie's Law.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: High Demand for Private Health Insurance in Canada

March 5, 2025
A new SecondStreet.org report shows that Canadians are interesting in learning more about or buying private health insurance.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Died on a Waiting List (2023-24 Edition)

January 15, 2025
New research from SecondStreet.org shows that more Canadians continue to die on health care waitlists.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Examining Cardiac Waiting List Deaths in Ontario

November 18, 2024
New research from SecondStreet.org shows that Ontario patients are dying while waiting for heart surgery, examines the data, and projects where the numbers will be if there is no policy change.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Another Poll Shows Canadians Want Health Reform

November 4, 2024
A new SecondStreet.org poll once again shows that Canadians are hungry for health reform, while also shedding light on a big problem with the system.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Can Cross-Border Healthcare Be the Safety Valve for Waiting Lists in Canada?

September 11, 2024
A new MEI and SecondStreet.org report examines the European Union's Cross-Border Directive and how it could help Canadian patients get care more quickly.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Died on a Waiting List (2022-23 Edition)

December 6, 2023
New research from SecondStreet.org shows that waiting list deaths are at a five-year high in Canada.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Canadians Overwhelmingly Support Reimbursements for Surgery Abroad

November 1, 2023
New research from SecondStreet.org shows that Canadians are overwhelmingly in favour of reimbursements for surgery abroad.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Incentives Could Improve Patient Health

August 23, 2023
A new study from SecondStreet.org shows that governments could potentially improve patients' health and save taxpayer dollars by trying out a number of different financial incentives for healthy living.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Significant Number of Students and Youth Continue to Support Socialism

December 31, 2025
A new SecondStreet.org research survey examines the opinions of university students and youth on socialism.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Alberta’s Charter School Students Earn Top Marks

October 22, 2025
New SecondStreet.org research shows that charter school students in Alberta perform better than students in government-run schools.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: A Look at Canadians’ Concerns with the K-12 School System

May 21, 2024
A new SecondStreet.org poll shows that a majority of Canadians think the public school system is headed in the wrong direction, and explores why.

Research

POLICY BRIEF: Canadians’ Thoughts On K-12 Education

November 25, 2020
This policy brief summarizes public opinion research on a variety of public education questions.

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Prevention – reduce demand in the first place

If Canadians lived healthier lives, we could reduce demand for emergency services, orthopaedic surgeries, primary care and more. 

For instance, if you visit the Canadian Cancer Society’s website, you’ll read that “about four in ten” cancer cases are preventable. The Heart and Stroke Foundation notes that “almost 80 percent of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented through healthy behaviours.” A similar number of Diabetes cases are also preventable. 

Many joint replacements and visits to ERs and walk-in clinics could also be avoided through healthy living. 

To be sure, not all health problems can be avoided through healthy living – everyday the system treats Canadians with genetic conditions, helps those injured in unavoidable accidents and more.  

But there is an opportunity to reduce pressure on the health care system through Canadians shifting to healthier lifestyles – better diets, more exercise, etc. 

To learn more, watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or see this column. 

Partner with non-profits and for-profit clinics

European countries will partner with anyone who can help patients. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s a non-profit, a government entity or a private clinic. What matters is that patients receive quality treatment, in a timely manner and for a competitive price.  

In Canada, governments often delivery services using government-run hospitals instead of seeing if non-profit or private clinics could deliver the services more effectively. 

When governments have partnered with non-profit and private clinics, the results have often been quite good – Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia are just a few examples of where partnerships have worked well. 

Canada should pursue more of these partnerships to reduce wait times and increase the volume of services provided to patients.  

To learn more, watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or see the links above. 

Make cross border care more accessible

In Canada, citizens pay high taxes each year and we’re promised universal health care services in return. The problem is, wait times are often extremely long in our health system – sometimes patients have to wait years to see a specialist or receive surgery. 

If patients don’t want to wait long periods, they often have to reach into their own pocket and pay for treatment outside the province or country. 

Throughout the European Union, we also find universal health care systems. But a key difference is that EU patients have the right to go to other EU countries, pay for surgery and then be reimbursed by their home government. Reimbursements cover up to what the patient’s home government would have spent to provide the treatment locally. 

If Canada copied this approach, a patient waiting a year to get their hip operation could instead receive treatment next week in one of thousands of surgical clinics throughout the developed world. 

Governments benefit too as the patient is now back on their feet and avoiding complications that sometimes come with long wait times – meaning the government doesn’t have to treat those complications on top of the initial health problem. 

To learn more, watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or this shorter video. 

Legalize access to non-government providers

Canada is the only country in the world that puts up barriers, or outright bans patients from paying for health services locally. 

For instance, a patient in Toronto cannot pay for a hip operation at a private clinic in Toronto. Their only option is to wait for the government to eventually provide treatment or leave the province and pay elsewhere. 

Countries with better-performing universal health care systems do not have such bans. They allow patients a choice – use the public system or pay privately for treatment. Sweden, France, Australia and more – they all allow choice. 

Why? One reason is that allowing choice means some patients will decide to pay privately. This takes pressure off the public system. For instance, in Sweden, 87% of patients use the public system, but 13% purchase private health insurance. 

Ultimately, more choice improves access for patients. 

To learn more, watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or watch this short clip on this topic. 

Shift to funding services for patients, not bureaucracies

In Canada, most hospitals receive a cheque from the government each year and are then asked to do their best to help patients. This approach is known as “block funding”. 

Under this model, a patient walking in the door represents a drain on the hospital’s budget. Over the course of a year, hospital administrators have to make sure the budget stretches out so services are rationed. This is why you might have to wait until next year or the year after for a hip operation, knee operation, etc. 

In better-performing universal health systems, they take the opposite approach – hospitals receive money from the government each time they help a patient. If a hospital completes a knee operation, it might receive, say, $10,000. If it completes a knee operation on another patient, it receives another $10,000. 

This model incentivizes hospitals to help more patients – to help more patients with knee operations, cataract surgery, etc. This approach also incentivizes hospitals to spend money on expenses that help patients (e.g. more doctors, nurses, equipment, etc.) rather than using the money on expenses that don’t help patients (e.g. more admin staff). 

To learn more about this policy option, please watch our Health Reform Now documentary (scroll up) or see this post by MEI.