The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) is essentially an Ombudsman. The Commissioner investigates complaints, and makes recommendations. He has no order-making powers to enforce his orders; he has to make an application to Federal Court. And he has very limited powers to levy fines. There is now a prevailing view that the simple ombudsman powers of the Privacy Commissioner are …
THE ROLE OF A PRIVACY COMMISSIONER AND THE QUALIFICATIONS OF DANIEL THERRIEN: WHAT PARLIAMENT SHOULD BE ASKING
The Prime Minister’s announcement last week that he has recommended Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Daniel Therrien, to be the next Federal Privacy Commissioner should give us cause to reflect on what the Federal Privacy Commissioner actually does and what skill sets are necessary. I have written about this on a number of occasions. The job is complex, multi-faceted and …