U.S. citizens: Demand Congress investigate soaring excess death rates
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (LifeSiteNews) — The province of Nova Scotia has passed a bill despite concerns from doctors and politicians over a clause in the legislation that grants the government access to the private medical records of citizens.
Passed and given Royal Assent on April 5, Nova Scotia’s Bill 419 will allow the Premier Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservative provincial government access to the private medical information of their citizens, despite warnings from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia that it would undermine doctor-patient relationships.
“This new law will require all physicians to enable access to their medical records for the minister,” Dr. Gus Grant, CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, warned during a March 25 legislative meeting.
“For physicians, this creates a new professional legal duty,” he added. “And for patients, it means the entirety of their medical records will be accessible to government.”
“I see it as the responsibility of the college to speak on behalf of the public, which I would expect is largely unaware of this seemingly innocuous amendment and its potential consequences,” he added.
The legislation, introduced by the minister of finance on March 5, is part of the Financial Measures Act. However, Nova Scotia doctors quickly pointed out a clause in the proposed legislation which seeks to amend the Personal Health Information Act.
Under the new changes, the minister of health and her department have increased access to the health records of Nova Scotians.
Clause 110 of the legislation allows the government to “make regulations requiring personal health information to be disclosed for the purpose of planning and management of the health system, resource allocation and creating or maintain(ing) electronic health record programs and services.”
Already, Canadians saw a massive breach of confidentiality during the COVID “pandemic” when citizens’ vaccination status could be demanded by restaurant owners or airline staff under government mandate.
Similar to the concerns of physicians, many members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) warned against the bill when it was debated in the legislature.
“There are bad actors everywhere. The government needs to ensure that Nova Scotians have the confidence that their personal information will not be leaked out somewhere. As it is, we are left with: ‘Oh, just trust us.’ Quite frankly, seeing some of the shenanigans that I have seen of late, how can we trust? It boggles the mind,” said Liberal MLA Kelly Regan.
“The provision is quite clear,” NDP MLA Claudia Chender added. “The minister or her designate may have access to all medical records of patients – all records. Let that sink in. A conversation about fertility, about substance abuse, about gender reassignment, about anything, visible directly to the minister,” said Chender.
Despite warnings from doctors and politicians alike, Nova Scotia passed the legislation without resolving the concerns.
Interestingly, Grant then departed from his original condemnation of the bill, saying, “The government disagreed with our proposed language, but did so only after genuine, earnest consideration. I believe the College was fully heard and our submissions were thoroughly considered.”
“In response to our concerns, the government committed to address patient confidentiality and the sanctity of the therapeutic relationship through other means,” he continued. “I am confident this can be achieved. Specifically, the government committed to putting together a Standing Committee to inform regulations and data governance, particularly as they pertain to access and use of personal health information. The College has been invited to sit at that table.”
U.S. citizens: Demand Congress investigate soaring excess death rates