A year ago, the GDPR raised the global bar for data protection, and formalized stringent consent requirements — that are well beyond those provided in PIPEDA, Canada’s private sector privacy law that came into force almost a generation ago.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada plans to develop a new policy position on transborder data flows between controllers and processors, and other cross-border disclosures of personal information between organizations.
The OPC’s updated policy position is welcomed by some who think it will give individuals greater control over their own privacy, or enable Canada to safeguard its adequacy status and international competitiveness in the face of obsolete privacy and access laws. Others see it as a solution in search of a problem, and one that could create significant practical challenges. According to Michael Geist, the OPC’s plan would effectively seek to “update the law through interpretation rather than actual legislative reform” and could have “enormous implications for e-commerce and data flows.”
New OPC policies for transborder data flows could have a profound impact on privacy, access, data protection, and compliance professionals in every sector.
Have Your Say
The OPC Consultationis your opportunity to help to inform the development of new policies for transborder data flows.
We recognize that employment or other associations can impinge on your freedom to express your views.
If you wish to provide input but are concerned about splash back, send your detailed comments about the changes you would — and would not — like to see, and why:
- via snail mail to PACC at Suite 330, Unit 440, 10816 Macleod Tr SE, Calgary AB T2J 5N8 or
- by email to President[@]PACC-CCAP[dot]ca
Submit your detailed comments by May 18, 2019.
All submissions will be fully anonymized, gathered into a single document, and submitted to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
