Well, folks, it's just a few more days until decision day. In last week's intro, I shared a few highlights on the different federal political parties' positions on privacy. This past week, IT World Canada shared additional insights on the topic.
I think it's fairly safe to state that, regardless of who actually ends up winning this election, we're likely to see some movement on the legislative front. Hopefully, it's the kind that improves individuals' privacy rights while recognizing the immense benefits of using data responsibly.
Whether it's at the federal or provincial level, public or private sector, you cannot get away from this topic. Maybe that's why I mention it so often here.
For those of you following the issue of Privacy Act renewal, Justice Canada just released a report highlighting what they heard during their consultations, which ran over the fall and winter. I don't think much of the 37-page report will be a surprise for privacy pros. I, for one, am glad they mention the problem of no legislative requirement to report breaches, which those of us in the private sector find just a tad unfair. More broadly, there seems to be a recognition of needing better alignment between Canada's public and private sectors.
Also, this week and on the topic of harmonization, Canadian-made U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham proposed an interesting idea for a global privacy standard. Denham's term ends in October, and she will be replaced by John Edwards, who has been the New Zealand DPA for many years. I have an idea: Maybe we can make Liz a super-commissioner next. At one point, Robert Marleau, who you may recall was former OPC interim commissioner, and then information commissioner of Canada, had the novel idea for a super commissioner that would bring all the Canadian commissioners under one umbrella. So while I'm not convinced it's the best model, the idea isn't completely out of left field.
Anyway, while it's certainly been busy for privacy over the summer, things are definitely heating up and evolving. Remember this Sunday is the deadline for your proposals for the IAPP Global Privacy Summit. It's always great to see a decent Canadian contingent, so get yours in. And, of course, the IAPP Canada Privacy Symposium 2022 planning is underway, too. You have a little bit more time — Oct. 24 — to get your proposals in for that one. I sure hope by then we'll be able to see each other in person. I miss hosting the game show, which we'll need to bring back, bigger and better.