Health Industry Insights from McCarthy Tétrault’s Health Industry Group
Canada’s health industry and its providers are some of the most innovative and effective in the world, yet challenges continue to confront both public and private organizations in the space. From regulatory shifts to technological advancements and changing workforce dynamics, organizations in the health industry must be bold and responsive to thrive in this fast-paced environment.
In our Health Industry Insights, we dive into pressing legal and business challenges that organizations in healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and health tech face.
We will also explore emerging opportunities to help your organization not only mitigate risk but move confidently into new areas.
What can you expect from our Health Industry Insights?
We’ll tackle key questions such as:
- How can your organization stay compliant with evolving healthcare regulations?
- What are the legal considerations and their commercial implications when adopting new healthcare technologies, including telemedicine and AI?
- How can organizations operating in the health industry manage the risks and opportunities?
Our insights will help you navigate these questions and more, offering real-world examples that will keep you informed on the critical issues impacting businesses in the health industry today.
Legislative Update: Federal Government Re-Introduces the Connected Care for Canadians Act as Bill S-5
On February 4, 2026, the federal government re‑introduced legislation to advance a more integrated and accessible health information ecosystem in Canada. Now tabled as Bill S‑5, the Connected Care for Canadians Act (“CCCA”) is substantively the same as Bill C‑72, which the federal government first introduced on June 6, 2024. We provided commentary on this earlier bill, which did not move forward after Parliament was prorogued and the federal election was called. Because Bill S‑5 is nearly identical to its predecessor, our original analysis remains applicable.
Read MoreAI Scribes and Privacy Risks: Balancing Convenience, Patient Rights, and Legal Obligations
Artificial intelligence (“AI”) powered tools are becoming increasingly common in clinical and administrative environments, introducing new privacy risks and governance challenges that are particularly salient in the health sector. One such tool is the “AI scribe.” AI medical scribes are AI-enabled tools that can transcribe and summarize a healthcare provider’s verbal interaction with a patient. AI scribes, which have seen rapid adoption in the healthcare field, raise a variety of privacy considerations, including secure data storage, de-identification and retention practices, and obtaining valid patient consent.
Read MoreVC Investment in Canada for Life Sciences Companies
Despite recent pullbacks in biotechnology and life sciences venture capital (“VC”) funding in Canada, a more in-depth analysis reveals strong indicators of investment demand for capital in early stage Canadian life sciences companies. While overall deal count has declined since 2021, such a reduction appears to be stabilizing between pre-pandemic averages, as opposed to demonstrating a stark pullback in overall dealmaking appetite.
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Bill 56 and Ontario’s Healthcare Sector: What Investors Need to Know
On November 3, 2025, Ontario enacted the Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025 (“Bill 56”), introducing significant updates to the province’s health-regulatory framework. While the legislation spans multiple sectors, its healthcare amendments are particularly relevant to private equity sponsors, strategic acquirers, and operators active in Ontario’s health services space.
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Drug-related Defamation: Can You Stop the Spread of Misinformation?
Healthcare continues to be a prominent topic of public debate. However, increased attention has also led to a rise in misinformation concerning pharmaceutical products. Such false or misleading statements can harm the public and damage the reputations of companies whose products are targeted. Depending on the nature of the statements and the context in which they are made, the author or speaker may face potential liability to the applicable company for defamation.
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AI-Enabled Medical Devices: Transformation and Regulation
The use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in healthcare creates transformational opportunities to improve systems and care, while also testing existing regulatory pathways and prompting novel approaches for the approval of AI-enabled medical devices.
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Federal Court of Appeal: Patented Medicine Prices Review Board “Crashed” Through “Guardrails” In Attempt to Regulate Unpatented Medicine
In forceful Reasons, the FCA, per Stratas J.A., found that the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (“the Board”), the governmental body that reviews the prices of patented medicines, “crashed through the constitutional, statutory and jurisprudential guardrails” when it attempted to exert its regulatory authority over Galderma’s unpatented DIFFERIN product.
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Access, Interoperability, and Innovation: An Introduction to Canada's Bill C-72, the Connected Care For Canadians Act
On June 6, 2024, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Mark Holland, introduced Bill C-72, An Act respecting the interoperability of health information technology and to prohibit data blocking by health information technology vendors (“Bill C-72”).
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Manitoba Leads the Way as the First Province to Join National Pharmacare Program
On February 27, 2025, Manitoba signed a bilateral pharmacare agreement with the federal government, officially becoming the first province to join the federal pharmacare program and gaining access to federal funding to cover the cost of contraceptives and diabetes medication.
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About McCarthy Tétrault’s Health Industry Group
McCarthy Tétrault’s Health Industry Group focuses on key health-related sectors: healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and health tech . We help industry players remain competitive and compliant — and capitalize on emerging opportunities. Learn more about our team.
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