Legal Corner

Welcome to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s (OPC’s) Legal Corner! Here, you will find a number of resources related to our Office’s mandate of overseeing compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Privacy Act, and of informing the public and stakeholders about these two federal privacy laws. In pursuing this mandate, and in continuing our mission of protecting and promoting privacy rights generally, we have dedicated a corner of our Web site to provide guidance on the interpretation and application of the two Acts we oversee, as well as offer links and references to a number of relevant legal resources. Although we intend for this Corner to be particularly useful for members of the legal community and law students, we hope that individuals, organizations and government institutions will also benefit from accessing relevant laws, findings, interpretations, guidelines and other resources.

The Legal Services, Policy and Research Branch provides strategic legal and policy expertise to the OPC on emerging privacy issues in Canada and internationally. It represents the OPC in litigation before the courts, and provides advice to the Commissioners on the interpretation and application of the Privacy Act and PIPEDA. The Branch provides expert legal support to the operational Branches of OPC, including Privacy Act and PIPEDA Investigations branches and Audit & Review, as well as general legal support on a variety of corporate matters. It is responsible for monitoring and analyzing legislative and government program initiatives, and advising the Commissioners on appropriate policy positions to protect and advance privacy rights in Canada. The Branch prepares for and supports the Commissioners and other OPC officials in appearances before Parliament and in relations with Parliamentarians. The Branch is headed by Ms. Patricia Kosseim, Senior General Counsel.