Information & Ethics committee  We have not yet studied this system, but I take good note of your comments. This is the type of problem that falls within the purview of our mandate.

Information & Ethics committee  Indeed there is tension inherent to access and the protection of information, so that in our relations with certain federal agencies in particular, we note greater resistance because they are more concerned with keeping things confidential. That being said, that is why the Priva

Information & Ethics committee  What I was going to add is that in fact this goes to one of our recommendations that there be a reform of the Privacy Act to put clearer definition as to how personal information can be shared with foreign governments. We agree with you that this area would deserve some attention

Information & Ethics committee  The Supreme Court of Canada has drawn that line of balance between privacy and safety. That line is about necessity. So the information that is collected must be necessary to serve the public safety objective it serves, as well as proper attention to the reasonable expectation of

Information & Ethics committee  I would say your statement really underscores our position in relation to information-sharing agreements and to ensure the Privacy Act is more specific in that regard. And what you say has also been the object of the O'Connor report, where Justice O'Connor specifically requires t

Public Safety committee  Indeed, as the commissioner has said, we would refer you to the March 2009 Report of the Auditor General, wherein she specifically raises that issue and says that the Canadian population will trust the national security and intelligence organizations only if it knows that they ha

Public Safety committee  Thank you.

Public Safety committee  I would submit to you, first of all, that we need to talk about or at least consider the cost of not doing it. Secondly, we know , for example, that since the advent of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we have seen that the added rigour that consideration for human rights br

Public Safety committee  For example, a police officer will not inundate himself or herself or a file with unnecessary information, but will be much more focused, that focus perhaps being initially brought on by considerations for privacy, but leading to a much more efficient investigation process.

Public Safety committee  I would say that it is precisely the reality of human error that begs for oversight, review, remedies for correction. As the commissioner said before, privacy rights include the right to accurate information as well as the right to have inaccurate information corrected, so your o

Public Safety committee  I am familiar with it and in fact have had the privilege of meeting them as well. We have discussed it at the OPC. We feel that its transferability to Canada must be assessed by the competent authorities. If such a proposal were to be put forward, we would obviously look at it

Public Safety committee  That is really a principle of Canadian law. That is how our courts have stated the fair balance to be and that is how, for example, the Privacy Act is constructed: that the invasion of privacy may be justified. We know that for governance, policing, and security purposes, a certa

Public Safety committee  I'll pass the microphone to my colleague. I have been at the OPC for only two months, so the briefings I have received so far are too superficial to give you a fulsome answer. What I have been told so far is that the separation that the RCMP keeps between the DNA data bank and

Public Safety committee  Thank you. My name is Chantal Bernier. I am the Assistant Privacy Commissioner. Today, our presentation will be given by Ms. Campbell, our Acting General Counsel. Fortunately for us, she is an expert in the field of biometrics and the author of many articles on the subject. So,

Information & Ethics committee  I would simply add that indeed it is a work in progress. Last week the privacy commissioners of Canada were together in Ottawa and decided to create a working group precisely to systematically address these concerns together in a concerted fashion.