Privacy Commissioner of Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is a special ombudsman and an officer of parliament who reports directly to the House of Commons and the Senate.
The Privacy Commissioner has the authority to investigate complaints filed by Canadian citizens, and report on whether there has been a violation of the Privacy Act (personal information held by the Government of Canada) and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (personal information held in the private sector). The Privacy Commissioner also has the power to audit, publishing information about personal information-handling practices in the public and private sector, conducting research into privacy issues and promoting awareness and understanding of privacy issues by the public.
The current Commissioner is Jennifer Stoddart, appointed on December 1, 2003, replacing Interim Privacy Commissioner Robert Marleau. Marleau had been appointed following the departure of George Radwanski in the midst of a scandal over expenses.
Before Radwanski, Bruce Phillips was Privacy Commissioner.
Along with the Privacy Commissioner, the Office has two Assistant Privacy Commissioners, Heather Black and Raymond D'Aoust. The Office also has an External Advisory Committee, which was created in February 2004.
- investigating complaints and conducting audits under two federal laws, Section 29 of the Privacy Act, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act;
- publishing information about personal information-handling practices in the public and private sector;
- conducting research into privacy issues; and
- promoting awareness and understanding of privacy issues by the Canadian public.
