That's a tradeoff a lot of Quebecers are making these days. More than 780 doctors left the public system there last year, compared with 14 in the rest of Canada combined. The exodus of doctors for the private sector in Quebec has increased 70 per cent in just four years, according to data from its Health Ministry.

Patients who spoke to White Coat, Black Art describe a situation where even those who do have a family doctor may face a month-long wait for an appointment, making it a choice between getting out a credit card or waiting all day at the hospital for an acute problem like pneumonia or a urinary tract infection.

Critics say the situation in Quebec should act as a warning of what could happen elsewhere in Canada if incremental steps in the direction of privatization are allowed to add up to giant leaps.

Earlier this month, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced his government would table a bill that would force new family doctors and medical specialists trained in the province to devote the first few years of their careers to the public system.