The federal government unveiled long-awaited reforms to Canada’s privacy laws today, handing authority previously held by Canada’s privacy commissioner to the as-of-yet-unestablished Canadian Digital Safety Commission (CDSC).
The reforms were announced this afternoon in a technical briefing that came on the heels of Bill C-36. The bill, dubbed the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act (PPCDA), was introduced to the House of Commons by Canada’s minister of innovation and technology, Evan Solomon. Bill C-36 would replace Canada’s private sector privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which was first introduced in 1998.
The new bill will still need to pass first, second, and third reading, and receive royal assent, before becoming law.
In a technical briefing hosted by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), senior government officials said the PPCDA would formally recognize the right to privacy as a fundamental right of Canadians and set a higher standard for how organizations deal with children’s data. It would also establish a requirement for informed consent around data collection, the use of plain language explanations regarding how that data is handled, and the right to have that data deleted.
RELATED: Elon Musk’s X continues to violate Canadian privacy law with Grok deepfakes, watchdog finds
Perhaps the biggest change comes in the way privacy is overseen in Canada. The PPCDA significantly narrows the mandate of Canada’s privacy commissioner, Philippe Dufresne, bestowing authority to oversee privacy in the private-sector under the CDSC. The creation of that commission, which has not yet been established, was announced last week during the government’s unveiling of the Safe Social Media Act.
Michael Geist, the University of Ottawa’s Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law, posted on X following the announcement that “there is no precedent in Canada for this kind of digital super-regulator,” adding that other countries tend to take the approach of creating an independent body solely focused on data protection rather than such a broad mandate.
According to senior officials, a privacy and data commissioner will be appointed to the CDSC, which will serve as a single body overseeing both the PPCDA and the Safe Social Media Act. That commissioner would be able to issue binding orders and issue monetary penalties of up to $10 million.
This is an evolving news story. Please check back for regular updates.
Feature photo courtesy Jason Hafso via Unsplash.
The post With update to Canada’s privacy laws, feds are building a “super-regulator” first appeared on BetaKit.
