Since the mid-1960s, France and Canada have developed different ways of managing their hospital systems. In Canada, each provincial government has gradually imposed technocratic control with the aim of planning the allocation of health-care resources. In spite of attempts to do the same in France, the hospital system has grown with few restrictions other than those set by the medical profession itself. Consequently, health expenditures have risen at one of the fastest paces in Europe. The provincial monopoly over hospital care in Canada contrasts with the juxtaposition of local 'cartels' throughout France resulting, for the latter, in a much more uncoordinated system. After a description of each country's hospital system and its historical origins, the advantages and disadvantages of each system are assessed so as to understand current public debate in each country.