I was in Toronto this week at an awesome venue downtown that was designed for corporate training and learning. The organization hosted a private CIPP/C training session, and I was the lucky one chosen to deliver it.

It was a very good class, filled with people eager to learn more about the privacy topics that a Canadian privacy professional needs to know. On more than a few occasions, I was challenged by their smart questions, interesting insights and quick wit. All in all, it was a good couple of days that helped wash away the sour taste my Ottawa Senators left after the NHL trade deadline day.

One issue that came up a few times was, as you might guess, the need for Canada to modernize most of its privacy laws. Read below for an article about Catherine Tully’s latest attempt as commissioner in Nova Scotia to get that government to move forward.

Another topic that was discussed a fair amount was whether or not our private-sector laws place the right emphasis on consent in our privacy laws. In a world of data analytics, big data, AI and machine learning, it really pushes the limit on the theory that we can always meaningfully consent to the myriad ways in which our personal information is being processed. The EU General Data Protection Regulation, being a newer generation of privacy law, offers alternatives. It’s high time that our governments start listening to the Catherine Tullys and Daniel Therriens of the world and fix this state of affairs before the laws become completely unworkable.