When you talk about biometrics, you are in fact referring to a Citizenship and Immigration program. Thanks to that program, when a person shows up at a point of entry with a visa, our officers can use the system to ensure that the person who is in front of them is the person to whom the visa was issued, so as to prevent people from substituting photos.
With regard to protection of personal information, the two legal documents that we use a great deal are the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Customs Act. Those two acts impose very strict conditions on protecting personal information and sharing it.
Moreover, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada ensures that the various departments address that issue very carefully. There are very strict guidelines regarding information that may be shared and used.