Alberta medical students get access to provincial policymakers to discuss health-system challenges

More than 30 medical students from across the province gathered at the Alberta Legislature on March 16, 2026, to meet government policymakers as part of the Provincial Day of Action, an annual collaborative event organized by students committees of the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.

More than 30 medical students from across the province gathered at the Alberta Legislature on Monday as part of the Provincial Day of Action, an annual collaborative event organized by the government affairs and advocacy committees of the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.

There they met with 20 policymakers, including Health Minister Adrianna LaGrange and a roundtable of Alberta NDP MLAs, to advocate for improved access to emergency care and reduced hospital wait times.

Venessa Thorsen, a media team member for the Provincial Day of Action group and a first-year medical student at the U of A, said some points being discussed include increasing the efficiency of outflows from hospitals to free up bed space and improving community relations to help reduce avoidable visits to emergency rooms.

She said the experience of talking with government officials is valuable for students.

“Empowering students to be more in positions of advocacy and comfortable talking with policymakers and advocating for the changes that we would like to see in the health-care system is a huge ask for us and something that is really important going forward for future generations of health-care learners,” she said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Dave Mitchell