If people were actually having to wait that long that their health was seriously threatened, they would likely be engaging in medical tourism on a much bigger scale. If you needed surgery or you were going to die/be permanently disabled and the Canadian system wasn't able to provide it, people would be driving across the border, flying to Mexico/Thailand/wherever, or doing whatever else they needed to not die or have their life impacted.
But that doesn't happen. What it tells you is that, as much as some Americans paint a false picture to slander single payer healthcare, and as much as some Canadians complain about waiting, the Canadian system is still better than any alternative available to the participants, despite the alternative being a quick drive away for most of us.