The national benchmark is surgery within 26 weeks (182 days) of being ready to treat. Only Ontario consistently meets this. Every other province falls short — some dramatically.

Wait times for cancer surgery have increased since 2019. There is no pan-Canadian benchmark for cancer surgery — only for radiation therapy (28 days). Some patients wait months for surgery that should begin within weeks.

Canada has no national standard for psychiatric wait times. Data collection varies by province. Many provinces don't report at all. What is reported paints a stark picture.

Food insecurity and EI coverage gaps hit prairie and Atlantic provinces hardest. These numbers reflect structural failures in how income support programs are designed and funded.