The problem with the Privacy Commissioner being the only body that really oversees CBSA right now is that under the Privacy Act there are a few shortfalls. One is that it's complaint-driven, so somebody has to actually file a complaint. The other thing is that we have a really low standard of the Privacy Act that allows government institutions like the CBSA to collect personal information on a very low standard. Right now the law says that the CBSA can collect any information so long as it relates to an operating program or activity. We heard the Privacy Commissioner say many times that this needs to be augmented. We need the test to be, is it necessary for an operating program or activity? I think if you increase the commissioner's powers, and if you fix the threshold by which government institutions can collect personal information, you're moving in the right direction.
On September 27th, 2017. See this statement in context.