The only reason that American ERs may get you in faster is because it is so fucking cost prohibitive that the only people there are either at serious risk of life or limb, or have chronic conditions and they are going to hit their out of pocket max anyway. The people that should be going to the ER but don't feel like they absolutely have to, aren't.

And every ER in the US and Canada both prioritize people by need. You triage life threatening issues first. Then serious injuries. Then things that may have deeper issues. Then things you can treat now. Then things that you are just wanting to get checked out. Then things that you should have just gone to your primary care for. If you are waiting for 12 hours in either case, you definitely didn't come for life saving care or serious injury. You might have to wait a while for an x-ray, cat scan or mri because those are always a bottleneck in every hospital.

If people were dying in Canadian ERs waiting for care, or getting chronic conditions due to delayed treatment, I would be concerned, but that is never the claim. It is always just about your precious time away from work. But how many hours is too many hours when you are recieving FREE care compared to a bill high enough to buy a new fucking car every year? Perspective, people.