Canada: regional profile for digital health innovators 

Posted on by DigitalHealth.London

Are you a UK-based health innovator looking to explore international markets? Throughout 2025 and 2026, the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London and its DigitalHealth.London programmes will be supporting innovators considering international expansion. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Canada as a potential market for your health innovation, sign up for our webinar on 24 September 2025.

Why Canada? 

For UK-based health and care innovators, Canada offers a blend of regulatory familiarity, cultural and linguistic similarities and regulatory alignment. 

Like the UK, Canada operates a universal healthcare system with a strong focus on accessibility, equity, and quality. It also shares many of the same challenges: ageing populations, rising rates of multimorbidity, widening health inequalities, and increasing pressure on the healthcare workforce and funding. 

Beyond these factors, Canada also presents an opportunity for testing innovations in the North American market, which could then be scaled into the US. 

Country profile 

Basic demographic information (accurate as of August 2025) 

  • Population: 39 million 
  • Economic growth: 1.5% 

Canada is the world’s second-largest country by area, although 82% of the population lives within a relatively small band of approximately 300km adjacent to its southern border with the United States. This band encompasses all of Canada’s largest cities, including Toronto (2.8m residents), Montreal (1.8m) and Calgary (1.3m). 

Most of the population lives in one of the country’s ten provinces, each of which shares responsibilities for governance and legislation with the country’s central government. Canada also has three territories covering the sparsely populated north of the country; these territories have historically been largely the responsibility of the federal government. 

Canada’s national languages are English and French, with the primary language varying between regions; the province of Quebec is notable for its strong French-Canadian culture and French-language dominance. Legally, most health-related information must be provided bilingually across the country. 

Canada has an ageing population, which has resulted in many of the same challenges seen in other developed countries, such as growing rates of multi-morbidities, pressures on the social care system and high levels of age-related diseases. 

In recent years, Canada has had an immigration rate in the top 10% of all countries globally. Immigrants may experience health inequalities or present specific health needs. 

Healthcare market overview 

Canada’s universal healthcare system (Medicare) is a public health insurance system funded primarily through federal taxes. The Medicare system is administered through the individual provinces and territories, which make up the country, meaning that the level of coverage for the general population and additional support for more vulnerable groups varies regionally.  

Medicare covers Canadians for the full cost of diagnosis and treatment across primary care and hospital settings. Services delivering this care are a mix of non-profit and for-profit enterprises. Some services (such as eye and dental care or prescriptions) are not covered by Medicare; two-thirds of Canadians have some form of private health insurance to supplement Medicare. 

Although regional health priorities vary significantly, strategic priorities for the Canadian healthcare system at a national level are set out in 2024’s Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians Plan. This plan sets out four key focus areas for improvement: 

  • Expanding access to family health services, including rural and remote areas; 
  • Reducing diagnosis and treatment backlogs through workforce development; 
  • Improving access to mental health services, including drug and addiction services; 
  • Modernising and digitising the health system, including introducing new standards and routine patient access to electronic health records. 

Key system organisations for digital health include: 

  • Health Canada – a federal organisation responsible for a wide range of public health and regulatory duties; 
  • Provincial and territorial health authorities (such as Alberta Health Services) – these bodies are responsible for the commissioning of care across their respective regions; 
  • Universities (such as University Health Network, Toronto) – as with many other countries, large hospitals are often linked to universities in Canada, which act as hubs for teaching and clinical innovation.  

Digital innovation landscape 

Because so much responsibility for healthcare delivery is devolved to provincial and territorial authorities, the digital innovation landscape in Canada is highly heterogeneous, although there have been some pushes for standardisation and interoperability at a national level. 

Each province or territory: 

  • Operates its own electronic health record (EHR) system (with varying maturity); 
  • Sets unique procurement routes and budget priorities; 
  • Develops its own digital strategy, albeit within broad federal objectives for interoperability. 

For UK businesses, this means regional strategies are essential as innovations may find rapid uptake in one province but remain blocked in another. 

Despite fragmentation, Canada is making progress toward a pan-Canadian health data infrastructure through: 

  • Shared Interoperability Standards set by Canada Health Infoway. 
  • Funding incentives tied to the federal healthcare plan, encouraging provinces to modernise EHRs and virtual care. 

Key considerations for UK innovators 

Regulatory pathways 

  • Digital medical devices and Software-as-a-Medical-Device (SaMDs) are regulated by Health Canada’s Medical Devices Directorate. The federal regulatory framework is aligned with international standards (e.g. IMDRF, EU MDR), meaning UK regulatory evidence is often transferable. 

Data Governance, privacy & cybersecurity 

  • All patient-facing technologies must comply with bilingual law. 
  • Restrictions apply on storing health data outside provincial or national boundaries, meaning cloud providers must often host data in-country. 

Infrastructure readiness 

  • EHR maturity varies; e.g. Alberta has a province-wide Epic installation, whereas other provinces still rely on fragmented systems. 
  • Canada has a strong telehealth and remote monitoring culture due to its low population density across the north of the country. This culture was accelerated during COVID-19, but integration challenges remain. 

Cultural & adoption factors 

  • Canadian providers are cautious adopters, preferring technologies with proven outcomes and peer-reviewed evidence. 
  • Solutions that address Indigenous health, rural care, or immigrant equity gaps resonate with national priorities. 
  • Partnerships with universities or provincial networks are highly influential in adoption. 

Funding & support 

  • Grant schemes are available targeted toward Indigenous health, mental health, AI, and tech adoption pilots. 
  • Venture capital opportunities are growing, but concentrated in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver—the “innovation corridor”. 

Opportunities for UK innovators 

  • Collaborate with Canadian universities and health networks on pilot projects; 
  • Leverage UK-Canada trade agreements to streamline regulatory approvals; 
  • Explore regional partnerships to tailor solutions to local needs.
     
  • Tap into Canada’s strong immigration and ageing demographics to address health equity and chronic disease management.

References and further reading 

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