Public education is a statutory obligation that my office has under the private sector legislation, PIPEDA. There's no corresponding provision in the Privacy Act. We undertake some training of government officials, for instance, on how to apply the Privacy Act, but we do not have a statutory mandate, a legal mandate, under the Privacy Act to undertake public education activities.
We think there is just as much of a need to educate the public in terms of how the government complies with its obligations as there is in relation to the private sector.
Canadians, when we ask them through polls, are of the view that the sensitivity of the information that they give to government...The fact that when you're dealing with the private sector, there is an element of consent and choice that does not exist with the government for the most part. For example, if you want a service, you must provide certain information. Canadians expect as much in relation to government as they do for the private sector.