With the IAPP Canada Privacy Symposium just around the corner, I wanted to give you a few good reasons to attend.

Top of the list for me this year is the Ian Kerr Memorial Lecture by the remarkable Boston University School of Law professor Woodrow Hartzog, who we are fortunate to have as a headliner. He is internationally recognized for his contributions to privacy and technology law, particularly his influence in shaping privacy and surveillance rules.

Hartzog's work explores the intricate problems that emerge when individuals, corporations and governments employ powerful new technologies to collect, study and disseminate human information. A friend and collaborator of Ian Kerr, I'm excited to hear him on the main stage.

We will also hear from Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne, who will deliver the annual address to the profession. His office has been quite busy this year, and with their newly-published multiyear strategic plan, they clearly have a lot in the pipeline and on the horizon. I'm sure his speech will cover a variety of topics that will interest Canadian privacy professionals.

Additionally, our lineup includes nearly 50 breakout sessions. Those sessions include some dealing with artificial intelligence, the latest around Quebec's modernized private-sector privacy law and others on important privacy topics like health information, Indigenous perspectives and children.

You'll also find practical and operational sessions, like one about assessing privacy maturity of an organization. Full disclosure: I work with the presenters and expect they will share insightful nuggets you can consider if you want to gauge the privacy maturity of your organization.

Did you think I wasn't going to mention the Commissioner's Game Show? Every year I wonder what the heck we're going to do and, when we pick an idea, I wonder how the heck we're going to pull it off. We always do, it's a ton of fun, but what I enjoy most is the no-holds-barred interaction we get to have with the regulators. I'm glad we can do something like this and I'm pretty sure we're the only jurisdiction. I guess it means Canadians are a smart, friendly and funny bunch, eh?

Lastly, and arguably just as important as the breakout sessions, is the networking that happens naturally when so many privacy pros gather. It's amazing how a good conversation in this kind of setting can lead to professional growth, the exchange of ideas, finding your next collaborative partner or job, and solutions to a common problem. So, make sure you save energy for this part of the Symposium as well!

The clock's ticking and there's not too much more time to register. And if you still need to make the case to be there to your bosses, remember the IAPP has a handy webpage devoted to that. It comes with a downloadable, custom letter you can use.

Have a great weekend.