Justice Canada and BC FIPA held a meeting with civil society groups in the context of the government consultation on Lawful Access on March 15, 2005. No one in the group assembled for the Vancouver consultation questioned the need for lawful access provisions in the Criminal Code and the Competition Act to address new technologies. […]

BC FIPA has presented a list of 11 recommendations regarding reforms to BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“the Act”). These recommendations are our top priorities for reform and cover the following issues: increasing routine release; better principles guiding retention and destruction of documents; restoring the coverage of the Act to all […]

BC FIPA endorses most of the recommendations for reform of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPP Act) presented in the two reports Enhancing the Province’s Public Sector Access and Privacy Law (Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2004) and Privacy and the USA Patriot […]

“The no-fly list announced last Friday represents a serious incursion into the rights of travelers in Canada, rights of privacy and rights of freedom of movement,” says Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Canada’s Transport Minister announced the government’s intention to create a “no-fly list” entitled “Passenger Protect” on August 5, 2005. Stoddart said […]

Canadians are being asked for their input on proposed legislation that would strengthen safeguards against identity theft and include measures aimed at helping victims of such crimes. The Consumers Measures Committee, a committee comprised of federal, provincial, and territorial consumer protection representatives, has launched a public consultation on identity theft. The background paper identifies several […]

The level of concern and demand for consent on cross-border sharing of personal information is extremely high amongst Canadians, according to an EKOS Research Associates survey commissioned by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Approximately 90 percent of Canadians surveyed wish to not only be informed but insist on governments and the private […]

Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has launched an examination of the cross-border flow of personal information hastened by the war on terror. The commissioner’s first-ever such audit will focus on information about Canadians that’s being sent to United States security agencies via the Canadian Border Services Agency. Read the Ottawa Citizen article

In their 2001 “New Era” platform, the BC Liberals promised to bring in “the most open, accountable and democratic government in Canada.” Research by FIPA shows that the Liberal government has done much more to erode open government during their four years in office than they have done to enhance it. In fact, they have […]

Here is the response from the BC Liberal Party to our election survey on freedom of information and privacy issues for 2005. Download (pdf).

FIPA sent a letter on May 4 to the Leaders of BC’s three leading political parties, asking them to clearly state their positions on a wide range of issues concerning freedom of information. We are deeply concerned with the 10-year decline in access to government information that has occurred under the last NDP and current […]

These are the questions we sent to the leaders of BC’s political parties to survey their views on freedom of information and privacy.   If or when your party forms the next B.C. government:   1. Do you think that access to government information should be increased? If so, what measures will you take to […]

In the summer of 2004, ID theft was a hot issue. Since then, it has exploded. There has been a flurry of activity in Canada and the United States, as regulators and companies alike struggle to keep up with the rapid growth in this white collar crime. Consequently, while the research has progressed, it has […]