Evidence of meeting #29 for Health in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was infoway.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
I will see if we have any minutes from the meeting.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Thank you.
Was the current Minister of Health or any other federal minister informed of Canada Health Infoway's decision to terminate PrescribeIT before the public announcement on February 11, 2026?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
As Infoway noted, provinces and territories sit on the board of directors for Canada Health Infoway, so they would certainly have been involved in those discussions in advance of the decision being made public. In addition, the provinces and territories are members of the corporation—
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Was the current Minister of Health or any other federal minister informed?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
Yes. The FPT ministers of health, including the federal Minister of Health, are members of the corporation.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
There was a health ministers meeting. I can't remember the exact date of the meeting, but we can look it up.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Could you please table the minutes from the meeting at which they were informed?
After PrescribeIT ends on May 29 of this year, what intellectual property rights do the Government of Canada, Health Canada and Canada Health Infoway retain over technology built with over $250 million in federal funding? Is it none, some or all?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
It is some. I'm going to turn to Dave.
Conservative
Director, Digital Health and Health System Division, Department of Health
May I ask a clarifying question? You said Health Canada or Canada Health Infoway retains the IP...?
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
If you could table all that information, it would be fantastic.
Did Health Canada conduct a formal program evaluation of PrescribeIT before signing the 2023 contribution agreement that allocated an additional $211 million?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
We do oversight of the contribution agreement as a regular course of business. This isn't day-to-day operations of running the service. However, we exercise oversight through the contribution agreement, according to the transfer payment policy. This includes work plans, budgets, reporting and audit requirements.
Conservative
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
It's not a formal program evaluation from the department as you may be thinking of it, I don't think.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Could you table all of those requirements, all the reports that you just referenced?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
Yes, all of the reporting.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Budget 2017 promised that PrescribeIT would be used to explicitly reduce opioid-related fraud and diversion. Can the department tell this committee, with specific data, how much opioid-related harm was prevented by PrescribeIT between 2017 and 2026?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
I don't think we have that data.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
What? That was the specific....
When the program was designed, Minister Philpott, the minister at the time, actually referred to this. It was a major portion of this program, and you do not have that data...?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
We will look to see if we have any data, but I can't answer that question.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Wow. Oh man. You wonder why....
PrescribeIT is not mentioned in Health Canada's 2026-27 departmental plan. Was the decision to remove it from the plan made before or after Canada Health Infoway's board voted to terminate the program?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Department of Health
I'm pretty sure the departmental plan references Infoway funding but maybe not PrescribeIT, because the funding we provide to Canada Health Infoway is much broader than PrescribeIT. It really supports the connected care agenda, so the interoperability road map and interoperable data standards for all health systems.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
It was a fundamental shift, though, in the departmental plan. It was mentioned up until 2024, I believe, and all of a sudden there was a shift. It was not mentioned. If there is anything referring to why it was dropped and why the lack of focus on PrescribeIT, that would be great.
Is Health Canada or the federal government pursuing any mechanism to recover any portion of the $252 million spent on PrescribeIT from Telus? Please answer yes or no.