Very good question. Here are my hypothesis, feel free to punch me ; 1) Their unions are actually some form of inneficient brokers who fails to truly represent

Very good question. Here are my hypothesis, feel free to punch me ; 1) Their unions are actually some form of inneficient brokers who fails to truly represent them politically and change the system in their favor. Instead, they simply take a cut on their paycheck, and treats them like factory workers while they should be treated as knowledge workers. Even if nurses and teachers are super important, we treat them like cogs in a machine and fail to frame their role as an investment in society. They are ''cost centers''. 2) The north american medical system (US and Canada) might differ in their funding, but are very similar in their organization compared to European models. Its all about the physician-patient relation, the former being all powerful and the later being a moron. In Canada, they are actually not employed by the state, but are in fact their own small businesses. Oh and they have de facto state monopoly on crucial medical tasks, making every other actor their economic bottom bitch. 3) A huge number of people who choose the job are very empathic-saviour types, and actually are professional martyrs who must endure poor working conditions to save others otherwise they would be bad.