Pacific Economic Development Agency Added to Privacy Act

Summary#

The Order Amending the Privacy Act Heads of Government Institutions Designation Order adds the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada / Agence de développement économique du Pacifique Canada to the list of institutions covered under the Privacy Act. The order names the agency’s President / Président as the designated head and came into force on August 6, 2021.

What it does#

• Adds item 82.5 to the schedule of the Order Amending the Privacy Act Heads of Government Institutions Designation Order.
• Lists Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada / Agence de développement économique du Pacifique Canada as a government institution for the purposes of the Privacy Act.
• Designates the agency’s President / Président as the head of that institution for those purposes.
• Comes into force on August 6, 2021.

Who's affected#

• The Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada and its President (the named position).
• People and organizations that deal with the agency — for example, clients, applicants, employees, contractors — because the agency will be treated as a federal institution under the Privacy Act.
• The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, which oversees compliance with the Privacy Act (this follows from the agency being listed; the Gazette notice itself does not list additional affected parties).

Why it matters#

• Being listed under the Privacy Act generally means the agency must follow federal rules on how it collects, uses, stores and discloses personal information.
• Members of the public who give personal information to the agency can typically use the Privacy Act’s mechanisms to request access to and correction of their information and to complain to the Privacy Commissioner.
• Practically, this increases the formal privacy oversight and accountability for how the agency handles people’s personal data.