This book presents a comprehensive, interdisciplinary examination of how Canadian health law and governance are responding to the rapid integration of AI in health care. Artificial intelligence is transforming diagnostics, clinical decision-making, and health system management, yet legal and ethical frameworks are struggling to keep pace.
Bringing together leading legal scholars, ethicists, clinicians, innovators, and patient voices, this open-access volume addresses core issues such as liability, informed consent, data governance and privacy, algorithmic bias, criminal law, and professional regulation, as well as the implications of AI for health equity in areas including mental health, women’s health, Indigenous health, and public health. While centered on Canadian law and institutions, the book situates Canada within a wider regulatory landscape, drawing out lessons from the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Brazil, and other key jurisdictions.
Spanning foundational principles, specific legal subfields, and cross-cutting policy concerns, the volume offers accessible, plain-language analysis grounded in real-world clinical and institutional contexts, along with forward-looking proposals for reform. Essential reading for legal scholars and students, policymakers, regulators, health professionals, AI developers, and patient advocates, it provides practical tools for building safe, effective, and equitable governance of health AI in Canada and beyond.

Colleen M. Flood is Dean of Queen’s University Faculty of Law, Canada.

Catherine Régis holds a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy at the University of Montreal, Canada, and a Canada-CIFAR chair in AI and Human Rights.