Social Affairs, Science and Technology

Thursday, April 30, 2026

The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology has the honour to present its

SEVENTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill S-5, An Act respecting the interoperability of health information technology and to prohibit data blocking by health information technology vendors, has, in obedience to the order of reference of March 26, 2026, examined the said bill and now reports the same with the following amendments:

1.Preamble, pages 1 and 2:

(a)On page 1,

(i)replace line 29 with the following:

“Whereas Parliament wishes to promote coopera-”,

(ii)replace line 31 with the following:

“territorial governments, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples and key”;

(b)on page 2, add the following before line 1:

“And whereas Parliament affirms that the enabling of easy, complete and secure access to and use and exchange of electronic health information and the governance of data under this Act as that data relates to First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples must occur in a manner that respects Indigenous data sovereignty;”.

Respectfully submitted,

Observations to the Seventh Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (Bill S-5)

The committee observes that health information technology vendors constitute only one element of a broader health data ecosystem. Focusing solely on vendors is insufficient to achieve comprehensive interoperability and meaningful access to personal health information for Canadians. To fully realize the benefits of interoperable health data, the government should consider extending responsibility for the access to and exchange of electronic health information to all individual or institutional providers of health care.