Under the leadership of Minister Marjorie Michel, Canada is advancing AI-enabled clinical tools and interoperable health records to deliver more accessible, secure and patient-centred care.
What steps are being put into place to support the integration of AI technologies in building a secure, patient-centred digital health ecosystem across Canada?
Innovation is critical to improving health care. Tools like AI have the potential to increase patient access to personalized treatments, enhance efficiency and equity in care, and enable greater access to culturally appropriate services.
Beyond improving individual health outcomes, better use of health data and digital tools, including AI, reduce costs for all, strengthen Canada’s economy by improving workforce productivity, as well as drive change.
The Government of Canada supports the integration of AI technologies in health by funding organizations like Canada Health Infoway, whose national pilot program has provided up to 10,000 fully funded licenses for AI-powered clinical documentation tools to primary care clinicians across Canada. Programs like this help clinicians focus more on patient care, and less on admin.
Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments’ efforts to support the responsible and ethical adoption and use of AI technologies across Canada’s health systems are guided by the Pan-Canadian AI for Health (AI4H) Guiding Principles.
These principles recognize the importance of accelerating the adoption of AI technologies while ensuring safeguards are in place to protect the public from potential harms. They also build on the values underscored in the Pan-Canadian Health Data Charter which outlines a commitment to a person-centred, ethical approach to health data, and Indigenous data sovereignty.
What role is your ministry playing in fostering partnerships that accelerate medtech innovation?
By supporting collaborations between the public and private sectors, we are working to improve healthcare delivery while also supporting new technology, innovation and the scale-up of promising Canadian companies.
Health Canada works closely with federal partners such as Health Emergency Readiness Canada (HERC) to help grow the life sciences sector, which is made up of networks of researchers, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, investors, governments and healthcare providers. The organization promotes scientific and industrial innovation to strengthen Canada’s readiness to face the most pressing health emergency priorities.
Major federal investments include $47 million for the envisAGE Network; and $49 million for INOVAIT, to help scale and commercialize new health technologies, including AI-driven tools, for diagnostics and therapies.
The federal government has also invested more than $42 million since 2019 in The CAN Health Network, which connects healthcare providers with Canadian innovators to improve the deliver of care and strengthen the domestic health technology market.
How is the ministry promoting digital tools that not only enhance outcomes but empower Canadians to take charge of their own health?
Better data can empower Canadians to take charge of their own health. Digital tools can enable health records to easily follow the person they belong to, in a way that allows mobility while still protecting privacy and promoting consistent care across provinces and territories.
CAN Health Network’s SeamlessMD project offers a remote monitoring platform that helps health providers monitor patient progress in real time in an effort to improve outcomes, reduce readmissions, and enhance patient experience.
Similarly, developed in collaboration with Canada Health Infoway, Nova Scotia’s One Person, One Record system is creating a single, integrated health record that patients can access on their phone. Another example is New Brunswick’s Health Link, which is working to connect diagnostic systems and streamline information flow between patients and providers. These projects are guided by the pan-Canadian Interoperability Roadmap. The Roadmap sets the path for connected care by establishing common interoperability standards that link health systems nationwide, supporting consistent, high-quality care.
What is your long-term vision for Canada’s digital health landscape, and how will you ensure future innovations remain inclusive and secure?
Canadians deserve a modern, secure and inclusive health care system. Digital tools are a critical part of this.
So are partnerships, including with provinces and territories. Canada’s Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health met in Calgary last month, and highlighted the importance of continued collaboration in modernizing health care through improved health data and digital tools, in support of better health outcomes for people across Canada.
That’s why we’re going to continue to invest in innovation and grow Canada’s capacity to develop and scale new health technologies, including AI, which is already transforming care – from early disease detection to personalized treatment, and workforce planning.
But innovation isn’t just about technology — it’s about people. To help foster trust, we’re promoting transparency through shared pan-Canadian AI for Health Guiding Principles. These principles set out common expectations for responsible, transparent, and accountable use — so Canadians can have confidence in how AI is being used across health systems.
