It’s something that probably does not come as a surprise to anyone who’s gone to a hospital emergency room in Canada.

The wait times for medical attention and for referrals to specialists are the longest among patients in nearly a dozen industrialized countries.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information found 29% of patients said they had to wait four hours – or longer – to be seen during their most recent emergency department visit.

That’s nearly three time the international average.

Patients in France fared the best with only 1% having to wait at least four hours.

The study also found Canadians reported the longest delays to see specialists, with just over half (56%) waiting longer than four weeks, compared with the international average (36%).

But the report says nearly three-quarters of Canadians rated the quality of care as very good or excellent – significantly higher than the international average.