Quebec minister reserves the right to halt Digital Health Record pilot project

Quebec Health Minister Sonia Belanger is sworn in during a ceremony at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

The Fréchette government is retaining the right to veto the May 9 Digital Health Record (DSN) roll-out in two regions. The DSN is the network’s controversial digital transformation led by the Santé Québec agency.

Two health and social services centres (CIUSSS) are due to launch a pilot project on May 9 in the Mauricie region and the north of the Island of Montreal, but health-care professionals have sounded the alarm due to several glitches.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Tuesday, Health Minister Sonia Bélanger indicated that she may halt the pilot projects.

“I will be able to give the green light or the go-ahead for the launch on May 9,” she told the National Assembly’s Agora, on the sidelines of the swearing-in of the Fréchette government’s cabinet.

Bélanger said that she is monitoring the situation daily, that she meets with Santé Québec every week to discuss the project’s progress, and that Fréchette is also kept informed.

“We are on the right track in terms of preparation,’” she maintained.

The minister spoke of a ‘radical, major change’, involving the integration of 4,000 systems into a single one.

In recent days, Santé Québec has sought to reassure the public regarding the progress of the DSN; however, the Parti Québécois (PQ) is calling for a pause and for Santé Québec to be summoned before a parliamentary committee.

“All professionals, whether they are doctors, respiratory therapists or other groups, are telling us: ‘In my field, I see this as a major risk to continuity of care and to people’s health,’” said PQ MNA Joël Arseneau during a news scrum at the parliament on Tuesday morning.

“We say we cannot take that risk,” he added.

According to him, we need to pause and ask Santé Québec, “where they stand, what the state of the situation is, that they address people’s concerns and tell us what the contingency plan is so that we know where we’re heading.”

For its part, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) wants to put in place three “winning conditions,” to quote Liberal MP Monsef Derraji.

He is calling for the company responsible for the system to deploy more staff to assist users. Furthermore, the PLQ wants additional resources in helpdesks to manage IT issues.

Finally, the Liberals are calling for a “precise and clear” plan for resuming surgeries that may be cancelled or delayed due to the rollout of the DSN.

“This stems from discussions I have had with healthcare staff,” explained Derraji.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 21, 2026.