Tamara Kronis

“moved that Bill S-5, An Act respecting the interoperability of health information technology and to prohibit data blocking by health information technology vendors, be read the second time and referred to a committee. She said: Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to speak to Bill S-5, the connected care for Canadians act. Timely and secure access to personal health information is critical to saving lives and improving care for Canadians. This act is part of our government’s plan to build up and protect the health care system and empower Canadians to have more control over their health. The main focus of Bill S-5 is patient safety. When health care systems are not interconnected, they are not only inefficient, but they also pose a clinical risk for Canadians. Things like undetected allergies, incomplete medication history and lost or delayed test results can lead to misdiagnosis and potentially life-threatening consequences. Even today, fewer than 13% of Canadians say they have electronic access to all their medical records. In Canada, in 2026, the fax machine remains the primary means for sharing health information between health care facilities. Only 52% of health care providers say that they share their patients’ health information electronically outside their office. The main obstacle they cite is a lack of interoperability. Consider what that means for patients. Patients should not have to remember their entire medical history or repeat it every time they consult a new health care provider. Furthermore, health care providers should not have to rely on incomplete information to make clinical decisions. A survey by the Canadian Medical Association found that 92% of practising physicians in Canada said that the lack of coordination between health care systems was hindering their ability to provide care. That is unacceptable, and it needs to change. Through Bill S-5, we can make technology work for Canadians, improving lives, improving care and building a more efficient health care system ready for the future. Australia and the European Union have already implemented similar legislation or regulations. Their residents have benefited from connected health care for years. If we act now, we can ensure that Canadians have access to the connected care they need and deserve. I would like to clarify what this bill would do. At present, the sharing of health information in Canada is hampered by the lack of common standards across the country. Bill S-5 would promote interconnected health care by requiring IT vendors in Canada’s digital health sector to adopt common data standards. It would also prohibit data blocking. Data blocking means restricting access to, use of or sharing of health information among authorized parties, such as patients and their health care providers, when privacy laws would otherwise permit it. In other words, Bill S-5 would help identify the barriers preventing patients and their health care providers from securely accessing the health information they need, when they need it. All of this would be achieved while preserving existing privacy protections and personal information safeguards. Access to health information is not a matter of convenience. It is a necessity. Data saves lives, especially when a full medical history is needed in an emergency. Let me share the stories of real patients and their families. They have experienced the devastating consequences of disconnected care in Canada. Theresa lost her son, Dan, who was only 17, after two visits to the emergency department. She believes real-time access to his file would have helped the family flag critical details sooner. Another patient requiring an urgent surgical procedure outside her home province was compromised because the local medical team could not access vital records from her home province. Without this essential medical history, clinicians were unable to safely perform the procedure. There is the story of Greg Price, whose legacy has been an inspiration for many of us working on this legislation. Greg was a healthy engineer from Alberta who faced systemic failures in our health care system. Like many others, he experienced delays due to poor coordination and inaccessible health information. He died of cancer in 2012. He was 31. This is why today’s legislation is so important. We need to break down those silos, so we are changing the rules and we are building the health data infrastructure Canadians deserve. Bill S‑5 would also reduce the day-to-day administrative burden on our health care professionals. According to a survey conducted by the Canadian Medical Association, physicians report that they waste an average of 86 minutes a day searching for patient data. That is almost an hour and a half a day. Time spent printing and sorting documents is time that health care professionals do not spend on what they should be doing and what they want to do: caring for people. Several OECD countries modernized their data laws years ago to allow for the secure transmission of health data, but Canada is lagging behind. This is important not only for patient care but also for the future of innovation within our health care system. Canada has implemented a near-universal medical records system. Things have to change, especially in light of artificial intelligence. Realizing the transformative potential and the growing importance of artificial intelligence, the Government of Canada recently published Canada’s new national artificial intelligence strategy, known as “AI for All”. Health and life sciences are one of the priority sectors under the strategy, given AI’s potential to improve patient care, accelerate diagnostics and support the development of new treatments. However, AI’s effectiveness depends on the quality of the data it uses. To unleash AI’s potential in the health care field, it must have access to anonymized, standardized high-quality data that can be used responsibly and shared in total safety. With Bill S-5, we can create the standardized database that is essential to a modern health care system. Fragmented digital health systems lead to costly requirements across various regions. Health information technology vendors have to build customized models to make their products work in every province and territory. This limits their ability to grow in the Canadian market. Vendors have been clear about the need to address interoperability challenges in Canada. By establishing clear and consistent national requirements, Bill S-5 would make Canada more predictable and attractive for businesses in the digital health sector. Rather than having to adapt to different requirements in each province and territory, vendors could operate within a single internationally harmonized framework. This would reduce complexity while encouraging innovation and investment. It would also help Canadian businesses grow domestically and compete globally. Canadians must also be able to trust that their personal medical records will be secure and protected. That is exactly what Bill S-5 aims to do. The bill would not amend federal, provincial or territorial laws governing the use of personal health information. Access to personal health information would continue to be governed by existing privacy laws, and only authorized users would be able to access their patients’ medical records. It is important to note that Bill S-5 also respects indigenous data sovereignty and will in no way alter the ownership, control or governance of the health data of first nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. As technology evolves, it is essential to protect Canadians’ privacy. That is why our government has also introduced Bill C-36, the protecting privacy and consumer data act, to modernize Canada’s private sector privacy legislation for the digital age. Bill C-36 reinforces our commitment to responsible innovation, economic growth, and the protection of Canadians’ rights in the digital age. Co-operation with the provinces and territories is key. I am already working with my provincial and territorial counterparts to develop the regulations. However, the federal framework will not apply to provinces and territories that already have similar conditions. I welcome our shared commitment to interoperable digital solutions that enhance connectivity in our health care system. Gaps in access to and sharing of health data create unnecessary and unacceptable risks. Canadians continue to face challenges when navigating the health care system. Canadians strongly support change and want better access to their own health data. This bill is part of our government’s plan to build up and protect the health care system and empower Canadians to have more control over their health. This is great news for our country. That is why I am calling on all members of the House to work together to pass Bill S‑5. I want to thank the Senate for voting to pass it.”