The privacy impact assessment will be carried out as part of the process of developing the program and the regulations. The department is required to conduct this assessment.
The Privacy Act and the Charter will continue to apply when authority is exercised pursuant to the new act. We always do a PIA when we tackle such issues.
We have read the Commissioner's letter. Certain principles will continue to apply, particularly the ones having to do with the application of section 4 of the Privacy Act. Two principles are entrenched in the act. When the government is authorized to collect and disclose personal information, it must comply with certain regulations. We refer to this as
the minimum collection rule and the minimal disclosure principle.
These two principles will continue to apply in the case of all powers exercised pursuant to the new act.
I know the Commissioner has commented on similar provisions that appear in different acts, whether it be the Quarantine Act or the Food and Drug Act. These two acts contain similar restrictions. We strongly believe that our assessment has enabled us to draft these provisions properly and mitigate their limitations. We will continue to apply these principles.