The problem is of intake. Family doctors (if you have one) are ill equipped to deal with mental health issues and may miss them entirely - a lot of the populati

The problem is of intake. Family doctors (if you have one) are ill equipped to deal with mental health issues and may miss them entirely - a lot of the population meanwhile simply don't have a family doctor and can only get 15 minute clinic visits. Often how it works out is that a psychologist or therapist will be the one equipped to refer you to a psychiatrist to begin with if needed. Additionally, because of artificial constraint in the supply of psychiatrists (and doctors in general to a lesser degree), the wait time to see one can reach ~1 year, which doesn't have anything to do with how healthcare is financed but is still a problem in Canada.