Health Committee on April 21st, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'm speaking of prior to—

[Michael Green]

We tried to put measures in place. We tried to do everything we could from a due diligence point of view before we embarked on the program.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you, Mr. Green.

I want to thank you for the....

Yes, the time is up for the hour.

[Helena Konanz, Conservative, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

I want to know if we could request of Mr. Green that he deliver all the documents that have been requested during this past hour by the end of this week.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I will ask for the end of this week, Ms. Konanz. I have no idea if that's acceptable, or if it's possible.

[Helena Konanz, Conservative, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

I would like to ask of Mr. Green that he deliver everything that was asked for in the past hour by the end of this week.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Green, that's duly noted in our minutes. Thank you very much for your time.

We now suspend to get ready for the next hour.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

We will now begin the third hour of our meeting.

I note that the time is seven minutes after six. We will use that as the start for our time limit.

I would like to welcome the witnesses joining us for the third hour. They are from the Department of Health. Jocelyne Voisin, senior assistant deputy minister, health policy branch, has been here before. We also have Elizabeth Toller, director general, health care strategies directorate; and David Jones, director, digital health and health system division.

I will quickly give you the procedure. One of you will have five minutes to present. Then we will move on to the question and answer session. I will give you a shout-out when you have a minute left so that you can wrap up. You can finish up what you want to say during questions and answers.

Ms. Voisin, I will begin with you for five minutes, please.

[Jocelyne Voisin, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I thank the members of the committee for giving us the opportunity to appear today.

It is a pleasure to join you today from the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe.

First, I want to situate PrescripTIon within the broader context of digital health in Canada.

Funding for PrescripTIon began in 2016, as you've heard, with the goal of modernizing the transmission of prescriptions between prescribers and pharmacists. At that time, e-prescribing was not widely used in Canada, and there was a consensus on the need to reduce reliance on paper-based processes and fax machines, which pose risks to patient safety and system efficiency.

From the outset, PrescripTIon was designed as a major digital infrastructure. Its adoption depended not only on the existence of the service, but also on the readiness of clinical systems, integration with pharmacies, evolving workflows, and the alignment of provincial and territorial digital environments.

With the support of federal funding, Canada Health Infoway worked closely with provincial and territorial governments, pharmacies and physicians to promote the use and adoption of PrescribeIT. It was used by thousands of health care providers to transmit millions of prescriptions.

It was conceived with a long-term vision to eventually become self-sustaining as adoption grew. While early results were encouraging, adoption progressed more slowly than expected. Over time, it became clear, through performance monitoring and engagement with partners, that PrescribeIT was unlikely to become self-sustaining as a single, centrally operated national service. That finding did not reflect a lack of importance of e-prescribing as an outcome. In fact, provinces and territories have consistently affirmed the value of e-prescribing as part of modern care delivery. What did not emerge, however, was a shared or collective request to sustain PrescribeIT as one federally funded and Infoway-operated national platform.

Provinces and territories are at different stages of digital readiness. They have different existing systems, different integration paths and different cost considerations. In that context, there was no consensus around a single delivery model, even as there was strong alignment on the policy objective.

The decision by Canada Health Infoway to wind down PrescribeIT reflects an evolution rather than a withdrawal from e-prescribing. The focus has shifted, as you've heard, toward enabling common standards and interoperability so that provinces and territories can implement solutions that work with their systems while still supporting pan-Canadian connectivity.

This approach recognizes the realities of a federated health system. It preserves flexibility for jurisdictions, avoids duplication and supports long-term sustainability while continuing to advance the underlying objective of safer, more efficient electronic prescribing.

It's also important to note that the federal approach to digital health is based on collaboration with provincial and territorial health systems, not on directing them. Provinces and territories participate in the strategic direction of pan-Canadian priorities, including standards and interoperability. However, decisions related to the operation or discontinuation of specific services fall under established governance structures, not a federal directive or collective requests from jurisdictions.

In the case of PrescripTIon, discussions with the provinces and territories focused on long-term sustainability, flexibility for jurisdictions and alignment with the existing system.

In summary, PrescribeIT played an important role in advancing e-prescribing in Canada at a critical moment. As the health system evolved, so too did the federal approach, from operating a national service toward enabling interoperable solutions through standards. That evolution reflects stewardship, learning and adaptation in a complex federated health system. It's about focusing federal pan-Canadian efforts to add the most value while respecting provincial and territorial roles in health care delivery.

Thank you. We're happy to take your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much. That was well done—four minutes.

I'll now go to questions and answers, starting with the Conservatives.

Mr. Mazier, you have six minutes, please.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Thank you, Chair.

Welcome, participants.

What is the total dollar value of taxpayer funds allocated to PrescribeIT?

[Jocelyne Voisin]

This was part of a parliamentary question we received. Based on our records, our total value was $298 million.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

The government spent over $290 million on PrescribeIT, a program that was supposed to replace faxes for prescription drugs. Doctors are still faxing 10 years later, and under 5% of prescriptions go through the program.

Was the $290 million an effective use of tax dollars, yes or no?

[Jocelyne Voisin]

We would say that PrescribeIT delivered a service over those years. It delivered millions of prescriptions, as we noted. It was a value to taxpayers in delivering the service and in setting the foundation for e-prescribing in the future.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Can you name a single federal performance target for PrescribeIT adoption that was met on schedule, yes or no?

[Jocelyne Voisin]

May I turn to my colleagues for stats?

[David Jones, Director, Digital Health and Health System Division, Department of Health]

Yes, there were performance targets, and some were met on target.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

There were some met, then.

[David Jones]

Yes.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Can you table those ones that were met and not met—the whole schedule?

[David Jones]

Yes.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Ms. Voisin, on June 19, 2025, Telus Health met with you to discuss “Government Procurement, Health”. Was PrescribeIT discussed during that meeting?

[Jocelyne Voisin]

I recall a meeting with Telus.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Yes, with Telus Health.

[Jocelyne Voisin]

I have in my calendar a meeting with Telus Health. At that time, we discussed the connected care agenda in general. I don't recall it being about procurement particularly.