Office of the Privacy Commissioner

The mandate of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) is overseeing compliance with both the Privacy Act, which covers the personal information-handling practices of federal government departments and agencies, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, Canada’s private sector privacy law.

The Commissioner works independently from any other part of the government to investigate complaints from individuals with respect to the federal public sector and the private sector. In public sector matters, individuals may complain to the commissioner about any matter specified in the Privacy Act. This Act applies to personal information held by Government of Canada institutions.

The mission of the OPC is to protect and promote the privacy rights of individuals. As a public advocate for the privacy rights of Canadians, the commissioner is responsible for:

• Investigating complaints, conducting audits and pursuing court action under two federal laws
• Publicly reporting on the personal information-handling practices of public and private sector organizations
• Supporting, undertaking and publishing research into privacy issues
• Promoting public awareness and understanding of privacy issues