Liberals revive bill to allow health records to be shared across Canada

The Liberals re-introduced the “Connected Care for Canadians Act,” first proposed in June 2024. (File, Pexels)

Amid the stories of Canadian patients falling through the cracks of the health-care system, the federal government is reviving legislation aimed at improving access to medical records.

On Wednesday, the Liberals re-introduced the “Connected Care for Canadians Act,” first proposed in June 2024.

As it stands, Canada’s health data system is “fragmented and siloed,” and the federal government is acknowledging that this is resulting in missed opportunities for quick intervention, delays in treatment, and potentially misdiagnosis.

In an effort to address the lack of common standards and incompatibility of various electronic systems used by doctors, hospitals, and clinics across the country, the government is pushing to pass a new law to allow digital health information to be safely shared across systems.

If passed, Bill S-5 would establish “requirements for interoperability,” essentially the standards that companies who develop electronic medical record systems, must follow. This would allow health data to be sharable between providers, and across provinces and territories.

The legislation would also prohibit health information companies from “data blocking,” ensuring they do not impose undue restrictions on information access or sharing, while upholding patient privacy requirements.

“Better connected care will contribute to safer, more integrated and higher quality care, less burden and burnout for providers, and patient empowerment in managing their own health,” a Health Canada official briefing reporters on a not-for-attribution basis said Wednesday.

The federal plan to harmonize records is being framed as a minimum standard for provinces and territories to abide by, acting as a backstop to ensure consistent patient access and care, tied to the Liberal government’s 2023 commitment of a guaranteed five per cent Canada Health Transfer (CHT) increase.

“I am already collaborating with my provincial and territorial counterparts to develop the regulations, and I welcome our shared commitment to interoperable digital solutions that enhance connectivity in our health-care system,” said Health Minister Marjorie Michel Michel, during a press conference on Wednesday. “We need to break down those silos.”

The initial version of this Act only made it through first reading in the House, before it died on the order paper.

This time, instead of trying to move the legislation through the House first, the government has tabled the bill in the Senate, an option that will require it to move through the upper chamber first before coming to the Commons.

Officials who briefed reporters could not estimate how long it could take for Canadians to see changes in the health-care system, should the bill become law.

One official indicated they expected it would take several years to create the accompanying regulations and administrative monetary penalties, citing the need to give the provinces, territories, and electronic system providers time to adapt.

“When personal health information can travel freely and securely between patients, clinics, hospitals and labs, people will have better health outcomes and doctors will have more time to focus on care,” said Canadian Medical Association President Dr. Margot Burnell.

In a statement accompanying the minister’s event, the government made a point to note the legislation “is not creating a digital ID, platform, or database of health information. This Act enables, not compels, secure access for patients and secure information sharing between health care providers.

With files from The Canadian Press