moved for leave to introduce Bill C-311, an act to protect the privacy of patients and the confidentiality of their health information.
Mr. Speaker, following the tabling of the Kirby report and on the eve of the Romanow report I thought it would be appropriate to bring a bill like this forward. Information in people's records in terms of their visits to the hospital, their doctor and health records are generally important documents and must be kept private.
We have had examples in Canada where that information has been leaked to corporations and sometimes insurance companies. This has had a huge impact on particular individuals. These corporations and companies do not have the right to have access to that information. Sometimes this type of information has landed in the wrong hands and has been misused against patients.
This bill lays out the rights of individual patients in terms of the privacy of information contained in the health care sector.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)