Health Information Interoperability and Data Blocking Prohibition
Summary
The Senate of Canada has introduced Bill S-5, An Act respecting the interoperability of health information in Canada and the prohibition of data blocking by health information technology vendors. The bill passed second reading on March 26, 2026 and has been referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology for consideration. The legislation aims to establish connected healthcare by mandating health information exchange standards and prohibiting data blocking practices by health IT vendors.
What changed
Bill S-5 establishes a new federal framework for health information interoperability in Canada, explicitly prohibiting data blocking by health information technology vendors. The bill applies to healthcare providers and technology companies involved in health data systems. Key provisions include mandatory interoperability requirements for health IT systems and vendor compliance obligations.\n\nHealthcare organizations and health IT vendors should monitor the bill's progress through the Senate committee process and begin assessing current data sharing practices against the proposed prohibitions. Once enacted, vendors will be prohibited from engaging in data blocking practices. The specific compliance timeline and penalty provisions will be established through the legislative process and subsequent regulations.
What to do next
- Monitor bill progress through Senate committee stage
- Review health information systems for interoperability gaps
- Assess data sharing practices against proposed data blocking prohibitions
Source document (simplified)
Summary
Current status At consideration in committee in the Senate Latest activity Referral to committee on Thursday, March 26, 2026 (Senate)
Completed on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 End of stage activity Introduction and first reading, Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Chamber sittings
| Sitting date | Debates (Hansard) |
| --- | --- |
| Wednesday, February 4, 2026 | Sitting 47 |
#### Second reading
Completed on Thursday, March 26, 2026 End of stage activities Second reading, Thursday, March 26, 2026 Referral to committee, Thursday, March 26, 2026
Chamber sittings
| Sitting date | Debates (Hansard) |
| --- | --- |
| Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | Sitting 52 Major speeches |
| Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | Sitting 59 |
| Thursday, March 26, 2026 | Sitting 61 Major speeches |
Consideration in committee No activity Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology Studies and bills Report stage Not reached Third reading Not reached
House of Commons
First reading Not reached Second reading Not reached Consideration in committee Not reached Report stage Not reached Third reading Not reached
Recorded votes
House of Commons
There are currently no recorded votes for this bill.
Senate
To view the complete list of standing votes that have taken place in the Senate, please refer to the Votes page of the Senate of Canada website.
Speaker's rulings and statements
There are currently no Speaker's rulings and statements.
Major speeches at second reading
Senate
| Speech date | Speech | Senator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | Sponsor’s speech (Sitting 52) | Joan M. Kingston (Independent Senators Group) |
| Thursday, March 26, 2026 | Response speech (Sitting 61) | Michael L. MacDonald (Conservative) |
Legislative summary
A legislative summary of this bill is available from the Library of Parliament.
Similar bills
Similar bills introduced in a previous Parliament
44th Parliament, 1st session
Departmental information
Press releases
Background information
From the Library of Parliament
Search research publications The Library of Parliament’s research publications provide non-partisan, reliable and timely information and analysis on current and emerging issues, legislation and major public policy topics.
Further reading
Canada Health Infoway (Infoway). (2023, May 29). Connecting you to Modern Health Care: Shared Pan-Canadian Interoperability Roadmap. https://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/en/component/edocman/resources/interoperability/6444-connecting-you-to-modern-health-care-shared-pan-canadian-interoperability-roadmap?Itemid=101 Canada. Department of Health. (n.d.). Pan-Canadian AI for Health (AI4H) Guiding Principles. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/transparency/health-agreements/pan-canadian-ai-guiding-principles.html Canada. Department of Health. (n.d.). Pan-Canadian Health Data Charter. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/transparency/health-agreements/shared-health-priorities/working-together-bilateral-agreements/pan-canadian-data-charter.html Canada. Department of Health. (n.d.). Working together to improve health care in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/transparency/health-agreements/shared-health-priorities.html Competition Bureau Canada. Unlocking the power of health data - Digital Health Care Market Study — Part 1, 23 June 2022. Health Canada. Working together to improve health care for Canadians, Backgrounder, 7 February 2023. Some publications are only available in English or French. Export as: JSON XML For more data options, please see Open Data
Named provisions
Related changes
Source
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get Legislative alerts
Weekly digest. AI-summarized, no noise.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Canada Parliament Bills publishes new changes.