Protecting Canadians Feds failed to assess implications of C-51 info-sharing: watchdog
The government hasn’t done enough to protect the privacy of “law-abiding Canadians” from new information-sharing powers in the omnibus security legislation known as C-51, says a federal watchdog.
Privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien said he was surprised many federal agencies did not examine the effect the powers in the controversial Conservative bill would have on people’s personal information.
In his annual report Tuesday, Therrien recommends agencies carry out formal privacy impact assessments – a key tool required under government policy when departments set up any new program or activity involving personal information.
The Security of Canada Sharing Information Act, part of C-51, expanded the exchange of federally held information about activity that “undermines the security of Canada.”
The former Conservative government, which brought in the legislation, argued the measures were needed because some federal agencies lacked or had unclear legal authority to share information related to national security.
In his report, Therrien says the law is broadly worded and leaves much discretion to agencies to define what sort of activities fall undermine security.
The scale of informationsharing that could occur “is unprecedented,” he adds.
Legal standards for information sharing should ensure that “law-abiding Canadians, ordinary Canadians who should have nothing to fear from surveillance activities of the state, are not caught by the informationsharing regime,” Therrien told a news conference.
In the first six months the law was in force – Aug. 1, 2015, to Jan. 31 of this year – five agencies reported to Therrien’s office that collectively they received information through the law on 52 occasions.