Health AI won’t wait, Canada must invest in a new regulatory playbook

The federal government must invest now in a regulatory system capable of moving as quickly as the technology it oversees—one that makes Canadian health AI trustworthy enough to be used throughout our health systems and sold confidently around the world.

Health Canada regulates software that qualifies as a medical device. It has taken the important step of issuing guidance for machine-learning-enabled medical devices. But stronger governance and increased oversight is needed. Health Canada needs to be bolder, write Colleen M. Flood and Françoise Baylis. Image courtesy of MikeMacMarketing/Flickr

Opinion

BY COLLEEN M. FLOOD, FRANçOISE BAYLIS

October 5, 2026

Artificial intelligence promises to tackle some of our health-care system's most stubborn problems. Delivering on that promise, however, requires health AI that is both safe and effective.

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