Privacy, Confidentiality, and Protection of Personal Health Information in Canada

Canada’s approach to health privacy differs from the American HIPAA model. Instead of one national healthcare privacy law, Canada uses a combination of federal, provincial, and territorial privacy laws. PIPEDA is Canada’s federal private-sector privacy framework and may apply depending on the province, organization type, and type of information activity. Many provinces also have health-sector or public-sector privacy laws that apply to healthcare organizations and workers.

Understanding this framework is essential for healthcare workers operating across different Canadian jurisdictions.

This course explores the Canadian legal matrix governing health information protection, consent principles (including the “”circle of care””), security safeguards, and breach management. Through practical scenarios and real-world examples, participants develop the ability to protect patient information appropriately, obtain proper consent, implement security controls, and recognize and respond to privacy breaches in compliance with Canadian law.