Canadian bill could hurt confidentiality

Ontario's Conservative government has caused a furore by proposing laws that would give the health minister the power to inspect, copy, and disclose confidential medical records of anyone covered by the province's health insurance plan. The measures, hidden in the fine print of the bill introduced into the legislative process last week, are part of a proposed act that would give the government, in the words of an opposition party's leader, “the most sweeping dictatorial powers this legislature has ever seen.”

Health …