© 2025 MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto. This report may be reproduced for non-profit and educational purposes with credit given to the publisher.
How to cite this report: Is Canada’s Primary Care System Measuring Up? Insights from the 2025 OurCare National Survey. Toronto, Canada. MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, 2025.
Everyone in Canada should have access to high-quality primary care — regardless of their background or where they live.
That’s the message we heard time and again when we spoke with patients and the public across the country.
OurCare was the largest national initiative to engage people in a conversation about the future of primary care in Canada. Between 2022 and 2023, we spent 16 months hearing from nearly 10,000 people about their experiences and what they wanted to see in a better system — through a national survey, five provincial priorities panels, and ten community roundtables.
People participated from across Canada and brought diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. Yet despite those differences, there was remarkable agreement on what mattered most.
We distilled everything we heard into something we called the OurCare Standard — a six-element framework describing what every person in Canada should expect from their primary care system.
A year and a half after its release, the OurCare Standard is shaping policy across the country. Remarkably, it now forms the basis for Ontario’s new Primary Care Act — the first legislation of its kind in Canada.
But how does the public’s vision for primary care measure up to reality?
In April 2025, our team launched a new national survey to find out. Over four months, more than 16,000 people shared their experiences of primary care — offering a snapshot of how well we are meeting the OurCare Standard today.
The good news: the big things are getting better.
Our 2022 survey estimated that more than 6.5 million adults in Canada did not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Results from the 2025 survey suggest that number has dropped to just over 5.9 million adults without a family doctor, nurse practitioner, or primary care team.
In recent years, improving access to primary care has been a focus for the federal government and many provincial and territorial governments. It’s heartening to see these efforts reflected in more people reporting they have a source of care. But there is still much work to do when millions remain without.
At the same time, those with a regular clinician continue to face challenges getting timely appointments — only 37% said they could get a same or next day visit for an urgent issue.
Through OurCare, people told us clearly that access should be based on need, not ability to pay. Yet 11% of respondents without a family doctor or nurse practitioner reported paying out of pocket for primary care services — most often for an appointment or consultation.
Our 2025 survey also offers new data on aspects of quality that are often overlooked — such as experiences of discrimination, physical accessibility, cultural respect, and diversity in the primary care workforce. It sheds light on how commonly patients and the public are involved in shaping primary care, their knowledge of what to do if there’s an issue with quality, and whether they can access their own health data online.
One of the most striking findings from our survey: only 28% of respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with how our primary care system is working — a clear call to action that much more needs to be done to make care better for people in Canada.
This report presents key national findings from the 2025 survey, organized by the six elements of the OurCare Standard. In keeping with the public’s call for greater transparency, our team is committed to making these data accessible. To explore the findings in more detail, visit our interactive dashboard at data.ourcare.ca
This report focuses on the national picture. In 2026, we will release a companion report comparing how provinces and territories are performing against the OurCare Standard.
The 2025 OurCare National Survey was conducted in collaboration with Vox Pop Labs, a leading national public opinion firm. We are also deeply grateful to the many individuals and organizations who made this work possible — including our partners at the Canadian Medical Association, other funders, and the many patients, caregivers, public members, clinicians, researchers, administrators, and policymakers who have advised and supported the work.
Our hope is that data from the 2025 OurCare National Survey will help keep the public’s vision for primary care front of mind — and help hold our system accountable to the communities it serves.
Dr.
Tara Kiran
Founder
and National Lead, OurCare
Dr. Tara Kiran is a family physician at the St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team, a scientist at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto.
The OurCare Standard represents what every person living in Canada should be able to expect of the primary care they receive. And it provides a framework for comparing different models of primary care and levelling up those models to realize better primary care for everyone living in Canada.
Everyone has a relationship with a primary care clinician who works with other health professionals in a publicly funded team.
Everyone receives ongoing care from their primary care team and can access them in a timely way.
Everyone’s primary care team is connected to community and social services that together support their physical, mental and social well-being.
Everyone can access their health record online and share it with their clinicians.
Everyone receives culturally safe care that meets their needs from clinicians that represent the diversity of the communities they serve.
Everyone receives care from a primary care system that is accountable to the communities it serves.
Results from the 2025 OurCare National Survey provide a snapshot of how people’s experiences of care measure up to the OurCare Standardsix elements that describe what every person should expect from the primary care system.
Everyone has a relationship with a primary care clinician who works with other health professionals in a publicly funded team.
More people reported having a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner in 2025 compared to 2022 . In 2025, 81% reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner compared to 77% in 2022. In 2025, an additional 1.4% reported getting care from a primary care team or clinic known to provide ongoing care.
Despite improvements in access over the last 3 years, we estimate there are still 5.9 million people who do not have a regular family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team they can see for care or advice about their health.
Access to primary care was different for people from different demographic backgrounds. Having a family doctor or nurse practitioner was less commonly reported among young people, those who did not identify as women, and those with incomes under $20,000.
Of those with a family doctor or nurse practitioner, only a small proportion reported having a non-physician team member in their clinic. Specifically, only 38% reported having a nurse, 21% a pharmacist, and 12% a social worker.
Both people with and without a regular primary care clinician reported paying a fee to access primary care services but the reasons for paying differed. People without a regular primary care clinician most commonly paid for an appointment or consultation while those with a regular primary care clinician most commonly reported paying for completing a form.
Everyone receives ongoing care from their primary care team and can access them in a timely way. 2
People with a primary care clinician reported high continuity of care, but receiving timely urgent care and care after-hours continue to be challenging. Only 37% were able to get a same or next day appointment when they had an urgent issue and only 31% said that their clinician or someone from their clinic was available to help with urgent issues outside Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
3
Everyone’s primary care team is connected to community and social services that together support their physical, mental and social well-being.
67% of people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner reported being satisfied or very satisfied with how their clinic supports their general well-being , compared to only 29% of those without a regular clinician who expressed satisfaction with the support they receive from their usual place of care.
4
Everyone can access their health record online and share it with their clinicians.
Access to online health records appears limited and unclear — most respondents reported lab results were available, but far fewer cited other records, and many did not know what they could access online. 56% said they could access lab results online while only 7% said they could access notes from their family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Everyone receives culturally safe care that meets their needs from clinicians that represent the diversity of the communities they serve.
People without a regular clinician more commonly reported discrimination when trying to access primary care and less commonly reported a setting that was physically accessible, culturally respectful or diverse compared to people with a regular clinician. The most commonly reported reasons for discrimination were gender, weight, age and mental health.
Everyone receives care from a primary care system that is accountable to the communities it serves.
Only 28% reported having the opportunity to be involved in shaping primary care services and only 22% reported they knew what to do if they had problems with the quality of care received.
Only 28% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with how our primary care system is working.
Explore all the data using our interactivedashboard
The following key findings - organized by the six OurCare Standard elements - highlight that primary care access has improved but that many people are still struggling to get the care they need.
In the 2025 survey, 81.0% of respondents reported having a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner, compared to 77.0% in 2022.
In 2025 we asked people who did not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner whether they had a regular place where they got care. Data from this new question suggests that an additional 1.4% of all respondents were getting care from a team or clinic known for providing ongoing primary care.*
Despite improvements in access over the last 3 years, we estimate there are still more than 5.9 million adults who do not have access to a regular family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team they can see for care or advice about their health.
*specifically a Community Health Centre, Local Community Services Centre/Centre Local de Services Communautaires (CLSC), Indigenous Primary Health Care Organization, Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic, Other type of family practice (for example, Family Health Team, Groupe de médecine de famille), or Nursing Stations.
Figure 1. Percentage of respondents reporting having a family doctor, nurse practitioner or team, 2022 vs 2025
77.0%
yes, I have a family doctor or nurse practitioner
We asked:
Do you currently have a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner who can give you care or advice about your health?
23.0% no, I don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner*
2025
We asked:
Do you currently have a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner who can give you care or advice about your health? If no, do you have a regular place of care where you can go when you need care or advice about your health? If yes, where do you usually go to receive care?
81.0%
yes, I have a family doctor or nurse practitioner
1.4%
yes, I have a primary care team**
17.6%
no, I don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner or primary care team*
* includes those who didn’t know if they had a family doctor or nurse practitioner
**includes Community Health Centre, Local Community Service Centre/ Centre local de services communautaires, Indigenous Primary Health Care Organization, Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic, Nursing Station, or Other type of family practice (e.g. Family Health Team, Groupe de médecine de famille)
Access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner was different for people from different backgrounds. Having a family doctor or nurse practitioner was less commonly reported among young people, those who did not identify as women, and those with incomes under $20,000.
Only 74.7% of respondents aged 18 to 29 reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner compared to 87.7% aged 65 and older.
Figure 2. Percentage of all respondents reporting having a family doctor or nurse practitioner, by age group
87.7%
respondents aged 65+ reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner
84.2%
respondents aged 50 to 64 reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner
78.1%
respondents aged 40 to 49 reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner
77.5%
respondents aged 30 to 39 reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner
74.7%
respondents aged 18 to 29 reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner
We asked: In what year were you born?
83.5% of women reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner compared to only 79.4% of men and 72.7% identifying as another gender.
Figure 3. Percentage of all respondents reporting having a family doctor or nurse practitioner, by gender
83.5%
Women reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner
79.4%
Men reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner
72.7%
Gender diverse people* reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner
We asked: What is your gender?
*People who are not cisgender men and women face additional barriers to primary care. We grouped people who selected the following responses in order to examine broad access gaps: transgender woman, transgender man, non-binary or gender non-conforming, and Two -Spirit.
84.9% of respondents reporting a pre-tax total household income of $200,000 or more reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner compared to only 69.6% of those reporting an income of less than $20,000.
Figure 4. Percentage of all respondents reporting having a family doctor or nurse practitioner, by income group
84.9%
$200,000 or more
83.9%
Between $150,000 and $199,999
83.7%
Between $120,000 and $149,999
82.0%
Between $90,000 and $119,999
82.0%
Between $70,000 and $89,999 79.6%
Between $50,000 and $69,999
Between $30,000 and $49,999
Between $20,000 and $29,999
Less than $20,000
We asked: Which of the following best describes your total household income before taxes?
Of those with a family doctor or nurse practitioner, 92.7% reported having family doctor as their primary care clinician, while 7.3% reported having a nurse practitioner.
Figure 5. Percentage reporting they have a family doctor vs a nurse practitioner
94.6% reported having a family doctor
5.4% reported having a nurse practitioner
2025
2022 92.7% reported having a family doctor 7.3% reported having a nurse practitioner
We asked: Is the person you usually get care from a family doctor or a nurse practitioner? If you see both professionals, choose the one you see most often.
Of those with a family doctor or nurse practitioner, only a small proportion reported having a non-physician team member in their clinic. Specifically, only 38.1% reported having a nurse, 21.0% a pharmacist, and just 11.8% a social worker.
Figure 6. Who works in the same clinic as your family doctor or nurse practitioner?
We asked: To your knowledge, who else works in the same clinic as your family doctor or nurse practitioner? (Respondents could select more than one option)
Figure 6 con’t. Who works in the same clinic as your family doctor or nurse practitioner?
Physiotherapist Less Common
Physician assistant Least Common
Dietitian
Psychologist or Mental health counsellor
Social worker
Community Health Worker
Occupational therapist
Indigenous cultural service provider
Midwife
Income support specialist
Other
5.3% Other 4.9%
None 12.0% Don’t know
We asked:
To your knowledge, who else works in the same clinic as your family doctor or nurse practitioner? (Respondents could select more than one option)
Only 45.1% of people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner said they can always or usually get care from another health professional in the same clinic when their clinician is away — down from 51.2% in 2022.
Figure 7. How often people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner reported being able to get care from another health professional in the same clinic when their clinician was away
51.2%
Always or usually have access to care
29.6%
Sometimes, rarely or never have access to care 2022
19.2% Don’t know
45.1%
Always or usually have access to care
32.1%
Sometimes, rarely or never have access to care
22.8%
Don’t know
We asked: If your family doctor or nurse practitioner is away, how often can you get care from another health professional from the same clinic?
Both people with and without a regular primary care clinician reported paying fees related to primary care services. But, the reasons for paying differed.
Figure 8. Percentage of respondents saying they paid fees to access primary care services
14.4%
Yes, I did pay a fee
With Primary Care
Clinician*
Without Primary Care
Clinician**
84.1%
No, I did not pay a fee
1.5%
No Answer
*Asked from those with a primary care clinician: In the last 12 months, did you have to pay any fees for your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s services?
11.2%
Yes, I did pay a fee
88.5%
No, I did not pay a fee
0.3% No Answer
**Asked from those without a primary care clinician: Do you pay a fee to access primary care?
People without a regular primary care clinician most commonly paid for an appointment or consultation while those with a regular primary care clinician most commonly reported paying for completing a form.
Table 1. Reasons for paying a fee among those who reported doing so, by those with and without a primary care clinician
What was the fee for?
An appointment or consultation
Obtaining a sick note
Completing a form required by insurance
Completing a form required by the provincial and/or federal government
Renewing a prescription
Viewing or getting copies of my records
After-hours phone service
Communicating with the clinic by email or text messaging
A monthly or yearly fee covering services outside individual appointments
A monthly or yearly fee to be a patient at the clinic
Being late or missing an appointment
Other
*Asked from those with a primary care clinician: In the last 12 months, did you have to pay any fees for your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s services?
**Asked from those without a primary care clinician: Do you pay a fee to access primary care?
(Respondents could select more than one option)
People with a primary care clinician reported high continuity of care, but receiving timely urgent care and care after-hours continue to be challenging.
Among those with a family doctor or nurse practitioner who visited their clinic at least once in the past 12 months, 86.8% reported that they were always or usually able to see their own clinician rather than someone else in the clinic.
Figure 9. How often people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner saw their own clinician instead of someone else in the clinic
86.8%
Always or usually see my own family doctor
All Respondents
13.0%
Sometimes, rarely or never see my own family doctor
0.2% No answer
We asked: Thinking about your visits to your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic in the last 12 months, how often were you able to see your own family doctor or nurse practitioner instead of someone else in the clinic?
The preceding question: In the past 12 months, how often have you visited your [family doctor/nurse practitioner]’s clinic? Consider in person, phone and video visits.
Among those who tried to book an appointment with their family doctor or nurse practitioner, or someone in their clinic in the last 12 months for something that was urgent , only 36.9% were able to get a same or next day appointment. 22.8% of those who tried to get an urgent appointment had to wait 2 or more weeks or were never able to get one. 50.9% reported satisfaction with the time between booking and receiving care.
Figure 10. How long it took to get an appointment for an urgent issue
I was never able to get an appointment
We asked: How long did it take to get an appointment [for the URGENT problem] from when you tried to book one (either in person, by phone or video conference)?
The preceding question: During the last 12 months, did you try to book an appointment with your [family doctor/nurse practitioner] or someone in their clinic because you URGENTLY needed care?
Among those who tried to book a non-urgent appointment with their family doctor or nurse practitioner, or someone in their clinic in the last 12 months, 66.1% were satisfied or very satisfied with how long it took between when they tried to get care and when they received it.
Figure 11. Satisfaction with how long it took to get an appointment for an non-urgent issue
Satisfaction with time to care
66.1% Satisfied or Very Satisfied
33.9% Neutral, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied
We asked: How satisfied were you with how long it took between when you tried to get care and when you received care [for the non-urgent problem]?
The preceding question: During the last 12 months, did you try to get care with your [family doctor/nurse practitioner] or someone in their clinic for something that was NOT URGENT?
Only 31.2% who had a family doctor or nurse practitioner said that their clinician or someone from their clinic was available to help with urgent issues outside Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Figure 12. Percentage of those with a family doctor or nurse practitioner reporting access to care for urgent issues outside Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Before 9am on at least one weekday
After 5pm on at least one weekday
On a Saturday or Sunday
We asked: Is your family doctor or nurse practitioner or another health professional in their clinic available to help with urgent issues at the following times?
(Respondents could select multiple after-hours time slots, unless they chose “None of the above” or “Don’t know,” in which case no other options could be selected)
None of the above 37.7% Don’t know
Most people with a regular primary care clinician reported that their clinic supports general well-being. However, less than one third of people without a regular clinician felt their usual place of care supports well-being.
67.2% of people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner reported being satisfied or very satisfied with how their clinic supports their general wellbeing, compared to only 28.7% of those without a regular clinician who expressed satisfaction with the support they receive from their usual place of care.
Figure 13. Percent reporting satisfaction with how their family doctor, nurse practitioner or place of care supports general well-being.
67.2%
Satisfied or Very Satisfied
With Primary Care Clinician*
Without Primary Care Clinician**
32.6%
Neutral, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied
0.2% No answer
*Asked from those with a primary care clinician: How satisfied are you with how your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic supports your general well-being?
28.7%
Satisfied or Very Satisfied
51.8%
Neutral, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied 19.0% I have not been able to get care 0.5% No answer
**Asked from those without a primary care clinician: Thinking about your usual place of care, how satisfied are you with how they [doctors and staff] help support your general well-being?
Access to online health records appears limited and unclear — most respondents reported lab results were available, but far fewer cited other records, and many did not know what they could access online.
When asked which health records they believe are available to access online, respondents most often selected lab test results (56.0%), vaccination history (34.8%), imaging results (34.5%), and medication records (31.5%). A notable portion (25.5%) said they did not know what was available, while 9.6% reported that none of these records could be accessed. The least commonly selected option was notes from their family doctor or nurse practitioner (6.8%).
Figure 14.
Percentage reporting the following health records were available for them to access online.
Vaccination history
Medication records
Lab test results (e.g., results of a blood test)
Imaging results (e.g., x-ray, ultrasound or CT scan report)
Notes from a specialist visit 11.6%
Records from a surgery or procedure
9.7%
Records from a hospital stay
9.8%
Records from an emergency department visit
Notes from your family doctor or nurse practitioner
We asked:
To your knowledge, which of the following health records are available for you to personally access online?
(Respondents could select more than one option)
People without a regular clinician more commonly reported discrimination when trying to access primary care compared to those with a regular clinician. In addition, those without a regular clinician less commonly reported care settings that were physically accessible, culturally respectful, or diverse.
64.2% of people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner agreed that the health professionals and staff at their clinic reflect the diversity of the community they serve, compared to 46.3% of people without a regular clinician who said the same about the place where they usually get care.
Figure 15. Percentage of respondents who agreed that health professionals and staff at their clinic or place of care reflect the diversity of the community they serve
64.2%
With Primary Care
Clinician*
Without Primary Care
Clinician**
Agree or Strongly Agree 35.6%
Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree
0.2% No answer
We asked: Think about the care you get at your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic, or the place you usually get care. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
*Asked from those with a primary care clinician: Health professionals and staff at my family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic reflect the diversity of the community they serve.
46.3%
Agree or Strongly Agree
53.0%
Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree
0.7% No answer
We asked: Think about the care you get at your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic, or the place you usually get care. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
**Asked from those without a primary care clinician: The doctors and staff where I usually get care reflect the diversity of the community they serve.
69.5% of respondents with a family doctor or nurse practitioner agreed that their clinician and clinic staff understand and respect their cultural background, while 49.2% of those without a regular clinician agreed that the doctors and staff at their usual place of care do so.
Figure 16. Percentage of respondents who agreed that health professionals and staff at their clinic or place of care understand and respect their cultural background
69.5%
With Primary Care
Clinician*
Agree or Strongly Agree 30.2%
Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree
0.3% No answer
We asked: Think about the care you get at your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic, or the place you usually get care. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
*Asked from those with a primary care clinician: My family doctor or nurse practitioner and staff at their clinic understand and respect my cultural background.
49.2%
Agree or Strongly Agree
Without Primary Care
Clinician**
50.1%
Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree
0.7% No answer
We asked: Think about the care you get at your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic, or the place you usually get care. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
**Asked from those without a primary care clinician: The doctors and staff at the place where I usually get care understand and respect my cultural background.
77.6% of people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner said their clinic, washrooms, and equipment are easy to access for people with reduced mobility, compared to 60.8% of those without a regular clinician who reported the same about their usual place of care.
Figure 17. Percentage of respondents who agreed that their clinic or place of care has a washroom and equipment that are easy to access for people with reduced mobility
Clinician*
77.6%
Agree or Strongly Agree
22.2%
Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree
0.2%
No answer
We asked: Think about the care you get at your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic, or the place you usually get care. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
*Asked from those with a primary care clinician: To my knowledge, my family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic, washroom and equipment are easy to access for people with reduced mobility.
60.8%
Agree or Strongly Agree
Without Primary Care
Clinician**
31.5%
Neutral, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree
7.4% I only receive virtual care
0.3%
No answer
We asked: Think about the care you get at your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic, or the place you usually get care. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
**Asked from those without a primary care clinician: To my knowledge, the washroom and equipment at the place I usually get care, are easy to access for people with reduced mobility.
When asked whether they experienced discrimination when receiving care in the last 12 months, 11.6% of people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner reported experiencing some form of discrimination, compared to 22.8% of those without a regular clinician. An additional 10.3% of people without a regular clinician reported not being able to get care. The most commonly reported reasons for discrimination were gender, weight, age and mental health.
Figure 18. Most common reasons why people with and without a primary care clinician reported discrimination.
With Primary Care Clinician* Without Primary Care Clinician** 3.1% The way they communicate 3.0% Lifestyle 3.0% Gender expression
Weight 3.2% Mental Health condition
Age 2.5% Gender
Lifestyle 1.8% The way they communicate
Physical or visible disability 1.1% Beliefs 1.0% Employment or income
*Asked from those with a primary care clinician: Think about the care you received in the last 12 months. Did you feel that you were discriminated against for any of the following reasons? (Respondents could select more than one option)
Gender
Age
Weight
Mental Health condition 3.5% Race, ethnicity or culture
Sexual orientation
**Asked from those without a primary care clinician: Think about the care you received in the last 12 months. Did you feel that you were discriminated against for any of the following reasons? (Respondents could select more than one option)
Few people reported having the opportunity to be involved in shaping primary care services, and few knew what to do if they had problems with the quality of care they received.
When asked about opportunities to share their ideas about how to improve primary care in their community or region, only 28.4% of respondents identified at least one opportunity. The most common mentioned options included providing feedback through a patient experience survey (18.3%), participating in health discussions on social media, community health newsletters or blogs (12.0%), pushing for changes to government policy (10.8%), and attending community meetings or forums (10.4%).
Figure 19. Percentage of all respondents who said the following opportunities were available in their community
58.8%
I don’t know what opportunities are available to me
18.3% providing feedback through a patient experience survey
12.8%
None of these opportunities are available to me
12.0% participating in health discussions on social media, community health newsletters or blogs
10.8% pushing for changes to government policy
10.4% attending community meetings or forums
5.6% being a member of a patient or caregiver advisory committee
3.9% serving on the board of a primary care organization or health region
1.0%
Other
We asked: Which of the following opportunities are available to you in your community? (Respondents could select more than one option)
Only 22.3% of respondents said they know what they can do if they have a problem with the quality of care they are receiving.
Figure 20. Percentage of all respondents who said they know what to do if they have a problem with the care they are getting
22.3% yes, I know what to do
All Respondents
77.6% no, I don’t know what to do
0.1% no answer
We asked: Do you know what you can do if you have a problem with the quality of care you are getting at your family doctor or nurse practitioner’s clinic or the place you get care?
Only 27.8% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with how our primary care system is working.
Figure 21. Overall satisfaction with how the primary care system is working
All Respondents
27.8% Satisfied or Very Satisfied
72.2% Neutral, Dissatisfied, or Very Dissatisfied
We asked: Overall, how satisfied are you with how our primary care system is working?
This report draws on data from the 2025 OurCare National Survey conducted between April 16 and July 30, 2025, as part of a broader public engagement initiative on primary care in Canada. This cross-sectional, bilingual online survey was designed to assess how people’s experiences with primary care align with the OurCare Standard—a framework that outlines what every person in Canada should be able to expect from the primary care system.
The survey was developed with input from clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and patient and caregiver advocates. The final questionnaire included 69 items, with branching logic based on respondents’ experiences with primary care. Respondents were eligible to participate in the survey if they lived in Canada and were 18 years of age or older.
Survey data collection was conducted by Vox Pop Labs. Participants were recruited from the Vox Pop Labs proprietary online panel, and through public outreach including television, radio, newspapers, social media, and partner networks.
22,308 adults responded to at least one question on the survey. We analyzed data from the 16,299 respondents who reached the end of the survey, spent more than 6 minutes on the survey and completed more than 90% of questions.
All analyses were conducted using weighted data. Data were weighted to align the sample characteristics with those of the Canadian adult population on the following characteristics (obtained from either the 2021 census or 2024 population estimates): sex, age, education, region, language spoken in the home, Canadian-born status, and race. Population-level estimates for the number of adults with no family doctor, nurse practitioner or team were calculated using 2024 population estimates from Statistics Canada. All survey-based estimates are subject to sampling variation (or error). The modeled error estimate for the overall sample is 1.5 percent, 19 times out of 20. Results based on subsamples of the data should be expected to contain greater error.
At the time this report was prepared, data collection in the Territories was still ongoing. Provincial and territorially specific data will be released in early 2026.
The 2025 OurCare Survey is led by Dr. Tara Kiran at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association.
The 2025 OurCare Survey was made possible with generous support from the following organizations:
• Canadian Medical Association
• CN Fund in Honour of Maureen Kempston Darkes for Improvement in Primary Care, St. Michael’s Foundation
• Department of Family Medicine at Providence Health Care (Vancouver)
• Ontario College of Family Physicians
• Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec
• BC Family Doctors
Dr. Tara Kiran is the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto and also receives salary support from the Departments of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto. Funds from the FDC foundation support Dr. Kiran’s program of research including aspects of this work.
The views expressed in the report do not necessarily represent the views of our funders.
The following individuals were directly involved in preparing this report: Tara Kiran, Maryam Daneshvarfard, Samira Prasad, Emily Holton, Goldis Mitra, Rita McCracken and Erin Plenert.
Tara Kiran (Principal Investigator)
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions and University of Toronto
Maryam Daneshvarfard
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
Rick Wang
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
Samira Prasad
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
Emily Holton
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
Vanesa Berenstein
University of Toronto
Erin Plenert
University of Toronto
2025
Clifton van der Linden Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Jessica Nordlander Chief Operating Officer
Timothy B. Gravelle Director of Research
Cara Poblador Senior Researcher
OurCare Survey 2025 Working Group Members:
Hina Ansari MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
Mylaine Breton Université de Sherbrooke
Danielle Brown-Shreves University of Ottawa
Archna Gupta
Upstream Lab and MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
Maggie Keresteci Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research
Ruth Lavergne Dalhousie University
Rita McCracken
Simon Fraser University
Goldis Mitra
University of British Columbia and BC Family Doctors
Andrew Pinto University of Toronto and Upstream Lab
OurCare Survey 2025 Advisory Committee Members:
Michelle Acorn
Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario
Karen Appel
Manitoba College of Family Physicians and University of Manitoba
Muhammad Azam Government of Nova Scotia
Lisa Bagonluri
Saskatchewan College of Family Physicians
Marie-Dominique Beaulieu
Professor Emeritus, Université de Montreal
Mandy Buss
Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada
Krista Butt
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Michael Redhead Champagne Manitoba Health Coalition
Ashley Chisholm Canadian Medical Association
Amanda Condon University of Manitoba and Shared Health Manitoba
Sarah Cook
NWT Health and Social Services Authority, College of Family Physicians of Canada
Colleen Ferris Healthcare Excellence Canada
Liam Foley Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Melissa Fuerst Shared Health Manitoba
Francis Garwe
Durham Community Health Centre
Samantha Graham Doctors Nova Scotia
Karin Kausky Doctors of BC
Melissa Kimens Primary Care Branch, Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
Neb Kovacina McGill University
Kim J. Lawn Health PEI
Isabelle Leblanc McGill University
Jiwei Li Dept of Family Medicine, Providence Healthcare (Vancouver)
Andrew MacLean
New Brunswick Department of Health
Danielle Martin University of Toronto
Jeremy McLay BC Ministry of Health
Sarah Newbery Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Kamila Premji University of Ottawa
Janet Reynolds Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network
Jess Rogers Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
Kathleen Ross Fraser Health Authority
Ashley Stacewicz Primary Care Alberta
Trina Stewart College of Family Physicians of Canada
Abhimanyu Sud Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans
Deepy Sur Ontario College of Family Physicians
Moira Teed
Canadian Medical Association
Anika van Diepen Health Canada
Andrea Wile Health PEI
Laura Wentzell Nova Scotia Health Authority
Sabrina Wong
Canadian Primary Care Research Network, University of British Columbia
Kyla Wright
Northwest Territories Health and Social Services
organizations
OurCare Provincial Priority Panel Participants
Improving Primary Care Public Advisors
Council, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
Patient Voice Advisory Group, Canadian Medical Association
Imagine Citizen’s Network
Greg’s Wings Foundation
Patients for Patients Safety Canada
Ontario Caregiver Association
Two Steps Forward
Centre of Excellence for Partnership with Patients and the Public
Report Design
Kate Hall, Gravy Co. Design Studio gravyco.com
Dashboard Design
PIVOT Design Group
pivot.design
Dashboard Analytics
Rick Wang, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
Survey Development Support
Patient and Family Education Team, Unity Health Toronto
Paul Krueger, University of Toronto
Translation Support
Geneviève Codère
Lucie Mayer
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
MAP is Canada’s largest research centre focused on health equity and the social determinants of health. MAP is based at St. Michael’s Hospital, a fully affiliated University of Toronto teaching and research-intensive hospital and hub for care in downtown Toronto. St. Michael’s Hospital is a site of Unity Health Toronto, a hospital network serving patients, residents and clients across the full spectrum of care.
Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto
The University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) is one of the largest academic departments of family and community medicine in the world. The department’s 2,300+ faculty are recognized internationally for excellence in teaching, research and clinical care.
Canadian Medical Association
The Canadian Medical Association leads a national movement of physicians advocating for a better future of health care.
Vox Pop Labs
Vox Pop Labs is a social enterprise founded and run by academics that creates innovative digital tools and delivers rigorous public opinion research to enhance democratic participation and representation. Vox Pop Labs operates one of the largest public affairs research panels in both Canada and Australia, enabling novel, high-quality insights for governments, news organizations, academics, professional associations, and civil society organizations.