Perhaps it’s a recency effect, having just participated in the Federal Privacy Commissioner’s Consultations in Montreal yesterday, but it struck me that we Canadians have particular expertise in our approach to privacy and that this expertise is recognized world wide. I guess the first time I encountered this was during a privacy conference in Alberta close to four years ago. A delegation from a country on the pacific rim asked if they could meet for a conversation on PIPEDA and the equivalent provincial legislation (Alta, BC). This nation was looking to establish their own privacy legislation. The delegation had come to Canada to find out what worked, what didn’t and to determine what businesses were attracted to Canada because of the legislation. The economic impact was of particular interest since the delegates were looking to put in place a privacy regime which would attract businesses to locate their computing assets in their nation.
Privacy Commissioners in Canada have taken a prominent role on the global stage. Not only have their offices published many white papers on cutting edge subjects, they have taken leadership roles in international conversations, led the development of new approaches to privacy and coordinated opinions with their local and international colleagues. This thought leadership extends beyond the boundaries of the commissioner’s offices and is also seen in the activities of the many Canadian Chief Privacy Officers, entrusted to safeguard the personal information of Canadians.
In addition to moving the yardsticks on the foundational understanding of privacy in our technol0gical world, there are a number of technological advances that have arisen in the realm of privacy technologies. Innovations like uProve and those at Privacy Analytics are but a couple of examples of innovation from Canada.
As we look to the Digital Economy, trust and confidence is more important than ever. Canada is well positioned to take a leading role for privacy in this next wave.
