The Privacy Act

The Privacy Act

The Privacy Act is a federal statute governing the federal government's treatment of personal information.  It was passed in 1983, before the revolutionizing effects of computer technology on information processing and privacy. Despite repeated calls by Privacy Commissioners, the Act has not yet been updated to take into account new privacy threats.  The House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics began a review of the Privacy Act in the spring of 2008.

• Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Government Accountability for Personal Information; Reforming the Privacy Act (June 2006)

• Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Addendum to June 2006 report (April 2008)*** Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Proposed Immediate Changes to the Privacy Act (April 29, 2008)

• CIPPIC, Submission to the ETHI Committee on the Privacy Act (May 2008)**