Bill S-4 (Historical)

Digital Privacy Act

An Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act

This bill is from the 41st Parliament, 2nd session, which ended in August 2015.

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

This enactment amends the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act to, among other things,
(a) specify the elements of valid consent for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information;
(b) permit the disclosure of personal information without the knowledge or consent of an individual for the purposes of
(i) identifying an injured, ill or deceased individual and communicating with their next of kin,
(ii) preventing, detecting or suppressing fraud, or
(iii) protecting victims of financial abuse;
(c) permit organizations, for certain purposes, to collect, use and disclose, without the knowledge or consent of an individual, personal information
(i) contained in witness statements related to insurance claims, or
(ii) produced by the individual in the course of their employment, business or profession;
(d) permit organizations, for certain purposes, to use and disclose, without the knowledge or consent of an individual, personal information related to prospective or completed business transactions;
(e) permit federal works, undertakings and businesses to collect, use and disclose personal information, without the knowledge or consent of an individual, to establish, manage or terminate their employment relationships with the individual;
(f) require organizations to notify certain individuals and organizations of certain breaches of security safeguards that create a real risk of significant harm and to report them to the Privacy Commissioner;
(g) require organizations to keep and maintain a record of every breach of security safeguards involving personal information under their control;
(h) create offences in relation to the contravention of certain obligations respecting breaches of security safeguards;
(i) extend the period within which a complainant may apply to the Federal Court for a hearing on matters related to their complaint;
(j) provide that the Privacy Commissioner may, in certain circumstances, enter into a compliance agreement with an organization to ensure compliance with Part 1 of the Act; and
(k) modify the information that the Privacy Commissioner may make public if he or she considers that it is in the public interest to do so.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other S-4s:

S-4 (2022) Law An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Identification of Criminals Act and to make related amendments to other Acts (COVID-19 response and other measures)
S-4 (2021) An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts
S-4 (2016) Law Tax Convention and Arrangement Implementation Act, 2016
S-4 (2011) Law Safer Railways Act
S-4 (2010) Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act
S-4 (2009) Law An Act to amend the Criminal Code (identity theft and related misconduct)

Votes

June 18, 2015 Passed That the Bill be now read a third time and do pass.
June 18, 2015 Failed That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word “That” and substituting the following: “this House decline to give third reading to Bill S-4, An Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act, because it: ( a) threatens the privacy protections of Canadians by allowing for the voluntary disclosure of their personal information among organizations without the knowledge or consent of the individuals affected; ( b) fails to eliminate loopholes in privacy law that allow the backdoor sharing of personal information between Internet service providers and government agencies; ( c) fails to put in place a supervision mechanism to ensure that voluntary disclosures are made only in extreme circumstances; ( d) does not give the Privacy Commissioner of Canada adequate order-making powers to enforce compliance with privacy law; and ( e) proposes a mandatory data-breach reporting mechanism that will likely result in under-reporting of breaches.”.
June 2, 2015 Passed That Bill S-4, An Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act, as amended, be concurred in at report stage and read a second time.
June 2, 2015 Failed
June 2, 2015 Failed
May 28, 2015 Passed That, in relation to Bill S-4, An Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to consideration at the report stage and second reading stage of the Bill and one sitting day shall be allotted to consideration at the third reading stage of the Bill; and That, 15 minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the day allotted to the consideration at the report stage and second reading stage of the said Bill and on the day allotted to consideration at the third reading stage of the said Bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and, in turn, every question necessary for the disposal of the stage of the Bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment.

Digital Privacy ActGovernment Orders

June 17th, 2015 / 6:25 p.m.

Conservative

Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to seek unanimous consent to see the clock at 6:39 p.m.

Digital Privacy ActGovernment Orders

June 17th, 2015 / 6:25 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker

Is that agreed?

Digital Privacy ActGovernment Orders

June 17th, 2015 / 6:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

The House resumed from June 17 consideration of the motion that Bill S-4, An Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act, be read the third time and passed, and of the amendment.

Digital Privacy ActGovernment Orders

June 18th, 2015 / 3:05 p.m.

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

Pursuant to an order made on Wednesday, June 17, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the amendment of the member for Victoria on the motion at third reading of Bill S-4.

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the amendment, which was negatived on the following division:)

Vote #465

Digital Privacy ActGovernment Orders

June 18th, 2015 / 3:15 p.m.

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

I declare the amendment defeated.

The next question is on the main motion.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #466

Digital Privacy ActGovernment Orders

June 18th, 2015 / 3:20 p.m.

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)