Government of Canada invests $100 million in VITAL health data platform

VITAL will securely connect hospital data to improve health services, accelerate research and support Canadian innovation

TORONTO, June 23, 2026 /CNW/ - Every day, Canada's health system generates data that could help improve care, strengthen health services and accelerate medical innovation. But too often, that data remains fragmented across hospitals, systems and jurisdictions, making it harder for researchers, clinicians and innovators to use it responsibly for the benefit of Canadians.

Today, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, and Maggie Chi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, announced a $100 million investment in the VITAL health data platform.

VITAL is building digital infrastructure for health data using near real–time clinical data from hospitals across Canada. By securely connecting de-identified electronic health data from across different systems, VITAL will create the largest hospital data network in Canada, providing researchers with near real–time access to health data for research and innovation. VITAL will significantly expand Canada's capacity to support cutting-edge research that addresses health care's pressing challenges, and it will support high-impact clinical trials and strengthen Canada's leadership in health data and AI innovation.

This $100 million investment, announced as part of Canada's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All, builds on significant prior federal support for VITAL. Through the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy announced in Budget 2024 and the update provided in the 2024 Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada committed up to $30 million over three years for the initial development of VITAL across three provinces: Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. Building on this momentum, in 2025, VITAL secured an additional $24.5 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for a $68 million project to expand participation to rural hospitals, develop clinical trials software and integrate medical imaging data.

Together, these investments will enable VITAL to connect clinical data from more hospitals across Canada, break down data silos and help turn Canadian health data into better care, better services and Canadian-made innovation, while protecting patient privacy.

Quality data is also the foundation for responsible AI in health care. AI applications are already running across multiple provinces for tasks such as predicting heart disease and detecting sepsis. And more than 80 Canadian companies are working with health data and AI to improve triaging, remote monitoring and diagnostics. VITAL gives them a national platform to build on and will allow Canadians across the country to benefit from these innovations.

By investing in secure digital infrastructure and improving access to high-quality health data, Canada is supporting faster research, stronger clinical trials, better informed decision making and innovative tools that improve outcomes for patients.

Quotes

"Better health data can mean better health care. Every day, our hospitals generate information that could help researchers discover new treatments, improve services and build the next generation of Canadian health innovation. VITAL will help unlock that potential in a secure, privacy-preserving way. By investing in VITAL, we are building a sovereign health data ecosystem, governed in Canada and guided by Canadian values, so that data and AI can deliver better care for Canadians."
– The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Investments in initiatives like VITAL are helping create a secure, pan-Canadian platform that connects clinical data across the country, enabling researchers and healthcare providers to harness artificial intelligence responsibly, accelerate discovery, and unlock the full potential of health innovation and research."
– Maggie Chi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

"VITAL positions Canada as an ideal place to develop health AI tools and advance discoveries that could save lives and make the health care system better for patients and families. The platform will help safeguard national data sovereignty by ensuring the population's health data is owned and governed by Canadians, for the benefit of Canadians."
– Dr. Fahad Razak and Dr. Amol Verma, co-founders of VITAL and physicians at St Michael's Hospital, a site of Unity Health Toronto.

Quick facts

• The first phase of VITAL connects 160 hospitals across Ontario, Alberta and Quebec, serving over 20 million Canadians.
• With this increased investment, the platform could expand to additional provinces and territories over the coming months.
• The VITAL platform is designed to be sovereign and secure. Each province and territory will maintain ownership and oversight of its hospital data. The data will be de-identified and managed under strict governance frameworks that comply with federal and provincial standards for health data protection. VITAL also incorporates Indigenous-led governance to respect data sovereignty and privacy of Indigenous data.

Associated links

• Overview of Canada's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All
• Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy
• Artificial intelligence ecosystem
• Canada Foundation for Innovation

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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Contacts: Leela Polushin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, [email protected], 438-522-7965; Media Relations,Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected]