CIHI Leads a New Era in Health Data Stewardship
Press Release
Leading Canada’s next era of health data stewardship
November 20, 2025
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is driving a national transformation in how health data is governed, shared and used, breaking down the silos that have long limited collaboration, insight and innovation across Canada’s health systems.
At its core, health data stewardship is about trust and responsibility: taking care of data so it can be used safely, ethically and effectively for both individual and public benefit. True stewardship ensures that data moves securely with patients throughout their care journeys while powering system-wide improvements in care delivery, research, public health and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Health data is one of our most critical resources and one of our most powerful tools for improving care and outcomes,” says Anderson Chuck, CIHI’s president and CEO. “Real progress will depend on how we come together as partners to share, govern and use data differently than we have in the past. By working together, we can create a connected health data system that strengthens care, equity and innovation for every person in Canada.”
This vision now carries the full support and endorsement of the Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health, a significant milestone that reaffirms CIHI’s leadership on behalf of all jurisdictions. The endorsement underscores a shared national commitment to advance health data stewardship collaboratively, ensuring that Canada’s health data serves the public benefit through trust, coordination and collective action.
Building the foundation for responsible data use
To make this vision real, CIHI is taking a bold leadership approach to modernize how health data is governed and shared. CIHI is
- Bringing Canada’s health system leaders together to align priorities, overcome fragmentation and drive national progress
- Releasing the Health Data Stewardship Framework, which defines what good data stewardship looks like and offers a clear pathway and guidance for the future
- Developing practical tools and learning resources to empower health professionals and organizations to put the framework into action
Building a nation through data
Canada’s strength has always come from its ability to unite across regions and perspectives to solve shared challenges. CIHI’s approach to health data stewardship reflects that nation-building spirit — connecting people, ideas and evidence across the country to build a modern, learning health system that serves everyone.
Through this work, CIHI is helping build the digital and ethical infrastructure of a modern nation; one where trusted, high-quality data empowers collaboration, innovation and accountability from coast to coast to coast.
Why strong data stewardship matters
When health data is managed and shared responsibly, the benefits ripple across the entire health ecosystem:
- Patients experience more seamless, coordinated care
- Clinicians and decision-makers gain actionable insights to improve outcomes
- Public health organizations can better anticipate risks and protect communities
- Researchers and innovators can turn trusted information into breakthroughs that advance care
Strong stewardship doesn’t just manage data — it unlocks data’s full potential, ensuring that information drives better care and better health for all Canadians.
Collaboration at every step
True data stewardship is built on collaboration. CIHI has convened a diverse and representative network of partners including federal, provincial and territorial governments, health system leaders, patients, clinicians, researchers, First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders, and health data organizations.
Through in-person and virtual forums, open consultations and patient-centred dialogues, CIHI is building shared understanding and driving coordinated progress toward a more cohesive, learning health system that continuously learns and improves using real-world experiences and data.
The Health Data Stewardship Framework
At the heart of this transformation is CIHI’s Health Data Stewardship Framework — a blueprint for aligning strategy and operations to overcome human, policy and cultural barriers that prevent effective data use.
The framework outlines the key components that organizations need to strengthen data sharing, build trust and embed stewardship in daily practice. Central to this are the Hallmarks of Health Data Stewardship — clear, actionable principles that define what good stewardship looks like in practice, developed with input from patients, providers and policy-makers.
A pan-Canadian governance model
To sustain progress, CIHI is leading the creation of a pan-Canadian governance model that fosters collaboration, coordination, transparency and accountability. This model connects Canada’s health data stakeholders to share a commitment to safe, ethical and innovative use of Canada’s vital health data.
Data stewardship in action
In addition to working with stakeholders to reach agreement on national priorities, CIHI is working to put data stewardship into practice through
- Building a repository of resources and tools to enable effective and efficient decision-making and data operations
- Collaborative initiatives focused on real-world implementation and scaling of stewardship practices
- Engaging with patients and communities to build public trust and ensure that how data is shared and used reflects public values, needs and expectations in a meaningful way
Together, the Health Data Stewardship Framework and the pan-Canadian governance model position CIHI at the forefront of a new era — one where trusted data stewardship fuels better care, smarter policy and more equitable health outcomes for everyone in Canada.
ILR5
