The Toronto Star reports on Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart's response to a request for information regarding information sharing provisions within the Privacy Act. With Bill C-19, the Conservative majority government hopes to eliminate the federal gun registry, spurring public debates about certain provisions of the bill and media reports suggesting that gun registry information could be shared with provinces and territories, which appears to be contrary to statements made earlier by Minister Vic Toews. To highlight this, an NDP MP made public a letter from the privacy commissioner written in response to questions about the information sharing. While the letter points to a section of the Privacy Act that could permit the disclosure, in appropriate circumstances, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has not commented on Bill C-19 and whether or not such a disclosure would be appropriate.
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