Canada’s provinces have agreed to facilitate the sharing of health information as a condition of receiving more federal transfers, a commitment that has potential benefits but which also raises concerns.
On Feb. 13, the provinces agreed to $196 billion in transfers from the federal government, of which $46 billion would be new money. To access the funds, Ottawa requires provinces and territories to “commit to improving how health information is collected, shared, used, and reported ... to promote greater transparency on results, and to help manage public health emergencies,” according to a statement issued by the prime minister on Feb. 7.
