My search indicates that Canada is a strong Welfare State. Canada provides extensive social services (e.g., universal healthcare, public education, employment insurance). Must be "the European influence".

Canadian ER waits times:

Quickest Visits: Half of non-urgent patients are out in 2.6 hours (90% within 7.6 hours).

Serious Cases: Patients who are more ill are prioritized and seen faster, but their total visit time is longer — 90% wrap up within 10 hours.

The Bottleneck: The real crisis is for those needing admission to a hospital bed. Average waits hit 22 hours (3x the target), and 1 in 10 patients wait over two days just to get a bed.

I think Quebec province is the worst.

Source: https://www.cma.ca/healthcare-for-real/why-are-er-times-so-l...