In a presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry today, the CMA noted the Bill fails to adequately protect the privacy of patients and the confidentiality of their health records. On the issue of a person s confidential information, Bill C-54 represents an approach that values commerce and access.
Health information is unique and requires special safeguards to protect confidentiality.
Rules relating to health information must recognize patient privacy and the confidentiality of the patient record as the two dominant priorities. Bill C-54, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, fails to do that. Bill C-54 appears to have access to information as its dominant value. In the rapidly expanding information age, personal information of every kind is increasingly available to commercial interests. The Canadian Medical Association has proposed amendments to the legislation, based on the CMA's Health Information Privacy Code .