Federal Economic Development Agency Added to Privacy Act

Summary#

This is the Order Amending the Schedule to the Privacy Act: SOR/2021-194. It adds the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario to the list of institutions covered by the Privacy Act, effective August 12, 2021.

What it does#

• Adds Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario to the Schedule to the Privacy Act under the heading “Other Government Institutions.”
• Makes the agency formally subject to the Privacy Act’s rules about how it handles personal information and how people can request access to or correction of their records.
• Comes into force on August 12, 2021.

Who's affected#

• Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario itself — its policies and practices for personal information must comply with the Privacy Act.
• People who interact with the agency: applicants for programs or funding, clients, employees, contractors and others whose personal information is held by the agency.
• Anyone who wants access to or correction of personal records held by this agency will now use the Privacy Act route.

Why it matters#

• Individuals who give personal information to the agency now have clear legal rights to access and ask for corrections to their records under the Privacy Act.
• The agency must follow federal privacy rules, increasing transparency and accountability for how it collects, uses and discloses personal information.
• This is a targeted administrative change to list one more institution under the law; it does not itself change the broader Privacy Act rules.