Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend from Cape Breton—Canso brought forward a question regarding the privacy breach.
Let me be clear that this loss by the department is completely unacceptable. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has been notified and an investigation into the incident is under way.
The hard drive contained the personal data of 583,000 Canada student loan borrowers who were approved for loans mainly between the years 2000 and 2006. The minister has instructed departmental officials to take immediate action to prevent such a situation from recurring.
Letters have been sent to affected clients. We are letting them know what steps they can take to help protect their personal information and to minimize the potential impact of this incident. Among other things, credit protection is being provided to the clients affected. These services are offered by Equifax, a credit bureau, for a period of up to six years.
Their social insurance numbers are also being monitored. In addition, we made active public notification efforts through the media, provided toll-free numbers and posted information on social media accounts and government websites, such as those for HRSDC and canlearn.ca.
Following directives from the minister, the department took rigorous action to strengthen and improve the overall policy and related protocols on security and storage of personal information. This is accountability.
New measures include the prohibition of portable hard drives in the department. Unapproved USB keys are being banned from being connected to the department's network. New data loss prevention technology is being developed to control or prevent the transfer of sensitive information. Mandatory training for all employees regarding the proper handling of sensitive data is being implemented. As part of this policy, penalties for non-compliance have been increased, up to termination of employment.
The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development has taken significant action to remedy the situation, and it will continue to report on measures that are implemented. That is taking responsibility.
The protection and security of personal information is fundamental to the ability of the government to deliver services. The Canadian public has to be able to trust departments to take all the necessary precautions when handling their personal information. We are ensuring that proper accountability and policies are in place to ensure that this happens.