The federal government has put forward a new bill aimed at making it easier to share medical records across the country. The Globe & Mail
The federal government has brought forward new legislation aimed at helping doctors and patients share medical records more easily and safely. The proposed law, called Bill S-5, focuses on fixing long-standing problems that make it hard to move health information between clinics, hospitals, and patients themselves.
Lawmakers introduced the bill in the Senate on Wednesday. The government says the changes will help modernize Canada’s health system and reduce delays, confusion, and repeated work for health-care workers.
What the new bill plans to do
The proposed law would require health technology companies to follow the same basic rules when they design and run their systems. These shared rules would allow health records to move smoothly and securely from one system to another. Patients would also find it easier to see and receive their own medical information.
The bill builds on a national plan developed by Canada Health Infoway, which provinces and territories already support. The government says the law will apply only in regions that do not create their own similar rules.
Officials stressed that the bill does not create a single national database for medical records.
Blocking data transfers would no longer be allowed
The legislation would also stop companies from blocking the transfer of health data. A recent study by the Competition Bureau found that some clinics faced long delays or received unusable files when they tried to change software providers.
These barriers often force doctors to re-enter information by hand or repeat medical tests that already exist.
A system falling behind other countries
Many countries, including Australia and several European nations, already use shared standards for health records. In Canada, only 29 per cent of health-care providers securely share electronic information, according to Health Canada.
Health Minister Marjorie Michel said the current situation does not meet the expectations of a modern country.
“The use of paper records and barriers to sharing data are not acceptable in a G7 country in 2026,” she said. “We need to break down those silos, so we are changing the rules and building the health data infrastructure Canadians deserve.”
Doctors and patients feel the strain
Patients often struggle to get copies of their own records, which may sit in several places at once. Doctors also lose valuable time entering the same details again or ordering tests they cannot see.
Canadian Medical Association president Margot Burnell warned that poor information sharing can hurt patient care.
“This is so critically important,” she said, pointing to cases where family doctors lack details after a patient visits emergency rooms or specialists.
A recent survey of nearly 2,000 doctors showed that paperwork weighs heavily on physicians and contributes to burnout. Many doctors said new tools could help, including software that reduces note-taking time. Some reported saving up to an hour each day.
What comes next
The government already tied better data sharing to recent health funding agreements with provinces. If Parliament passes the bill, officials say Canadians could start seeing a more connected and efficient health system in the years ahead.
