The federal government is proposing legislation that would integrate Canada’s medical records for primary care, allowing easier and more efficient sharing of digital information for patients and healthcare providers.

In parallel with this effort, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones recently announced the development of a new provincial electronic medical record (EMR) system for primary care. 

The proposed system would provide patients with a comprehensive view of their health information, allergies, medications, vaccinations, and test results from medical facilities across the province, according to Jane Philpott, MD, chair of Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team and a family physician. Philpott is a former minister of health for Canada.

“In the current model, we have multiple systems across the province, so each physician has their own EMR,” Zaina Abdurrahman, MD, president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), told Medscape News Canada. “They’re not necessarily able to access information if, for instance, their patients were seen by another physician. The physician spends a lot of time trying to obtain these records, and they might arrive in a format that is difficult to integrate fully into the EMR system. This new system [in Ontario] will allow the easier flow of information between the multiple individuals taking care of the patient.”

Avoiding Past EMR Pitfalls 

Over the past two decades, the federal and provincial governments have introduced several action plans to support patients’ access to healthcare, all aimed at improving outcomes and safe data sharing.

Previous similar attempts at EMR integration have been unsuccessful. In 2009, eHealth Ontario created a pilot project for electronic data sharing. Subsequent revelations of no-bid contracts, misappropriation of funds, and government waste of over $1 billion caused a scandal. 

In June 2024, Bill C-72, the Connected Care for Canadians Act, was introduced to enable Canadians to access their own health data securely so that they could participate in healthcare decision-making and improve their care. The act passed its first reading but didn’t proceed after Parliament was prorogued. 

Bill S-5, introduced in February 2026, is a revival of the act. The legislation will require all information technology companies providing digital health services in Canada to adopt common standards to support protected and secure information exchange across various systems. Its objective is to establish the foundation for the health sector to benefit from AI innovations designed to improve patient care and system efficiency. 

Improving on Previous EMR Integration Efforts 

The experience of the 2009 eHealth initiative created skepticism and uncertainty in the medical community regarding subsequent EMR initiatives. Healthcare advocates are concerned that this new system will produce the same negative results as previous iterations. They’re calling for safeguards to ensure proper data governance and avoid breaches and misuse.

“We need to prevent partisan appointments and an overreliance on consultants. In the past, we didn’t have a transparent process and accountability in the people who are responsible for delivering eHealth,” Robin Lennox, member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, told Medscape News Canada. “We’ve seen a lot of recommendations from the auditor general of Ontario regarding eHealth. We should abide by them and learn from the past failures that have occurred under both the Liberal and Conservative governments.” Lennox is a physician who specializes in addiction medicine. 

“We don’t necessarily need to start from the ground up. We need to map out the project’s timeline, define realistic deliverables, and determine how we’re going to roll this out in a gradual way that doesn’t disrupt patient care and that seamlessly integrates with the current electronic health records,” she added. 

Medical experts feel that the lack of a connected EMR system and a streamlined workflow process has led to physician burnout and a shortage of primary care physicians. “We need to do something to help our family doctors now, not 10 years from now. We’re facing a real risk of losing a huge number of our family physician workforce in the next five years, many of whom are struggling with an overload of administrative work,” said Lennox. 

Consulting With the Community 

Details about the new EMR system’s structure and implementation are currently unknown. Abdurrahman is hoping that leading health organizations will be engaged as part of a consultative process that includes clinicians and patients. “From the physician perspective, we would appreciate having the opportunity to collaborate on this initiative, because that would provide us the opportunity to help inform the development of this integrated record so that it aligns with the actual day-to-day clinical workflow,” she said. “The OMA has been advocating for more team-based care. For physicians, access to an integrated patient record gives them a single, trusted source of patient information, allowing them to make faster, high-quality decisions and spend more time with their patients, as opposed to chasing paperwork.”

Abdurrahman agreed with Lennox regarding the administrative overload that family doctors are facing, noting that they’re spending upwards of 19 hours per week on administrative tasks. “That’s why it’s so important to be part of the process and to discuss how EMR will integrate with workflows,” she said.

“Hopefully, this new EMR system will be a springboard for the Connected Care for Canadians Act. We’re addressing this in primary care, but primary care also involves the various types of specialist care as well. This new measure would facilitate the adoption of Bill S-5 to allow for that integration,” concluded Abdurrahman.

Abdurrahman and Lennox reported no relevant financial relationships. 

Evra Taylor is a widely published freelance medical writer and reporter with 20 years’ experience covering a broad range of therapeutic sectors, including family health, cardiology, psychiatry, ophthalmology, and dermatology.