I mentioned this a little while back, but it’s definitely worth repeating. Besides, I first mentioned it when many of you would have been on summer vacation and it could have been missed. The Ontario government is seeking public input on the idea of passing a private sector privacy law. If this comes to fruition, it has the potential to really change the privacy landscape in Canada — not to mention it could really complicate things, too.
I can think of a few things Ontario should consider as it goes down this path. What about you? What do you think should be a top consideration? Maybe you’re concerned about Canada becoming a patchwork of provincial laws, which — while substantially similar to one another — have nuanced differences making compliance a bit of a nightmare for those trying their best to comply across the board. As it is, with only Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta having substantially similar legislation, each of those provinces have subtle differences making compliance tricky — although you won’t hear them say that.
On the theme of new privacy legislation possibly coming to fruition, the Information Accountability Foundation published a blog post this week. It has an optimistic title: “Canada is the Right Place to Explore Next Generation Privacy Legislation.” There’s more about the blog post below. The author, Marty Abrams, makes a compelling argument that Canada is well-poised to come up with a new, novel, workable solution that strikes the right balance between allowing organizations to innovate while still respecting everyone’s right to privacy.
Do you share Marty’s optimism? Do you think our politicians have this on their radar, considering everything else going on in the world? Do you have faith that Canada will come up with an updated privacy regime in the near to short term?