Here conservative MP Matt Strauss talks about back the absolute failure that is the liberal E prescription service. “In 2016, the Liberals announced $40 million in funding to develop a national e-prescribing service – PrescribeIT – that promised to replace paper prescriptions and fax machines. Ten years later, the cost to taxpayers had exploded to over $300 million, while less than five percent of prescriptions are sent through this program.
“Earlier this year, Canada Health Infoway quietly voted to terminate the program. Despite this, Mark Carney’s Health Minister has shown no concern for the cost of the failure, proclaiming during Question Period that ‘the money has been spent!’
“PrescribeIT is a $300 million Liberal scandal hiding in plain sight. Canada Health Infoway was picked to design the program, which then paid TELUS Health to develop it, but TELUS may have outsourced the work even further, while failing to achieve results. $300 Million gone forever. There needs to be a full fraud investigation from the attorney general and the RCMP. #canada #liberalgovernmentofcanada #forcanada2026 #governmentfraudincanada
From my experience following government digital health projects, the PrescribeIT saga is a striking example of how large public investments can falter without clear accountability and effective management. Over the past decade, the goal to shift Canada’s prescription system from paper to digital seemed promising, aimed at improving patient safety and streamlining healthcare workflows. However, as noted, the program only handled less than 5% of prescriptions after costing taxpayers over $300 million. This makes one wonder about the challenges behind such a failure. Often, projects involving multiple stakeholders, like Canada Health Infoway and TELUS Health in this case, can suffer from issues like unclear project scope, poor vendor management, and lack of transparency. The fact that TELUS may have outsourced development further complicates oversight and quality control, possibly contributing to the program's inability to scale or meet user needs. Terminology such as "digital e-prescribing system" and phrases like "replace paper prescriptions and fax machines" highlight an ongoing struggle many healthcare systems face worldwide: transitioning legacy processes to modern digital solutions. It’s a reminder that technology alone cannot fix complex systems without comprehensive planning, sufficient training for users, and continuous evaluation. The calls for a fraud investigation underscore public frustration over perceived mismanagement of public funds. In government-funded projects, especially in health IT, transparency about expenditures and milestones is crucial to maintain public trust. This situation stresses the importance of having strong governance structures and independent audits to ensure funds translate into effective outcomes. For patients and healthcare providers, the failure to adopt e-prescribing nationally means continued reliance on paper and fax, which can delay treatments and increase the risk of errors. Moving forward, any efforts to relaunch or reimagine such a system in Canada would benefit from incorporating lessons learned here—prioritizing usability, interoperability with existing healthcare systems, and clear accountability. Having observed similar digital health initiatives, I feel it’s essential that citizens and professionals alike remain vigilant and engaged in dialogue about these projects. Public awareness and pressure can help ensure better stewardship of resources and, ultimately, better services for everyone involved.