November 16, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Canadians’ expectations of privacy have changed and evolved since the federal Privacy Act became law more than three decades ago. The Government of Canada is committed to reviewing our federal privacy legislation to ensure it keeps pace with both technological change and evolving Canadian values.

That is why today the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, along with the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, announced the launch of an online public consultation on the review of the Privacy Act led by Justice Canada to ask Canadians to share their views on modernizing the Act. The Act regulates federal public sector institutions’ collection, use, disclosure, retention, and disposal of personal information.

Obtaining the views of Canadians is imperative to making sure that our federal privacy framework reflects the needs and expectations of modern society. Members of the public, including Indigenous people and interested stakeholders are invited to share their views by participating in the online public consultation until January 17, 2021.

Canadians are invited to share their views on key issues, such as the rules on when federal institutions can collect personal information, how they can use the information entrusted to them, when they can share it with other federal institutions, and the right of individuals to access personal information held by federal institutions. Participants are also being asked to consider oversight and enforcement models under the Act.