Mr. Speaker, if a company refuses to co-operate with requests for information, the commissioner could publicly disclose this fact, which would send a signal to consumers of the privacy implications of the organization's practices. The organization would, in turn, have to explain to its customers why it is not respecting Canadian privacy law, and this change would ensure that Canadians are informed and aware of issues that affect their privacy, so that they can make educated choices to protect themselves.
Our government is taking action to give the privacy commissioner powerful new tools to promote compliance with PIPEDA, whether through binding agreements, the possibility of court action, or being held to public account. These proposed amendments would increase the accountability of organizations to maintain good privacy practices, and if they do not report a breach, they would be heavily fined for each name that is disclosed, up to $100,000. When a company has thousands of clients, that could add up to quite a bit of money.