The Canadian government introduced a bill into Parliament Nov. 17, the Digital Charter Implementation Act of 2020,[1] that makes a number of changes and clarifications to Canada’s existing data privacy regulatory framework. The bill would establish a new privacy law (the Consumer Privacy Protection Act) and create the Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal. The Consumer Privacy Protection Act lays out the changes to existing law, while the Tribunal acts as an enforcer of the law and an interlocutor between private enterprise, the government and private citizens.
The act applies[2] to any organization in respect of personal information:
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That collects, uses or discloses such information “in the course of commercial activities.”
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That is “about an employee of, or an applicant for employment with, the organization and that the organization collects, uses or discloses in connection with the operation of a federal work, undertaking or business.”
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That is “collected, used or disclosed interprovincially or internationally.”
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That is “collected, used or disclosed by an organization within a province, to the extent that the organization is not exempt from the application of this Act under an order made under paragraph 119(2)(b).”