NDP calls for independent blue-ribbon panel on privacy issues

Following recent revelations about how often Canadians’ personal information is collected, shared, and lost, NDP Ethics critic Charlie Angus (Timmins–James Bay) sent a letter today asking Treasury Board President Tony Clement to convene an independent expert panel to make recommendations on securing Canadians’ privacy in the digital era.

“Data breaches at the Canada Revenue Agency, widespread collection of personal information at airports in meta-data sweeps, and legislation giving greater access to private information without the need for a warrant, are all contributing to Canadians’ concerns that this government is failing to respect their privacy rights and may be opening the door to greater abuse through ill-conceived legal reforms,” he wrote.

There is a suite of legislation before Parliament that experts say will have a major impact on Canadians’ privacy rights. Bills C-13, S-4 and C-31 would entrench in law many of the controversial information-sharing practices that have recently been exposed in private industry and government.