Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics

Comité permanent de l'accès à l'information, de la protection des renseignements personnels et de l'éthique

For immediate release

Ottawa, May 02, 2022 -

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, tabled in the House of Commons a report entitled Collection and Use of Mobility Data by the Government of Canada and Related Issues.

During its study, the Committee examined the use of mobility data by the Public Health Agency of Canada during the pandemic, as well as other issues relating to the use of de-identified data and big data. The report concludes, among other things, that federal privacy legislation must be modernized to meet the challenges of a highly digital society.

The report contains 22 recommendations to further strengthen Canadians’ privacy and ensure that there is an appropriate legal framework for data use in Canada.

“On behalf of the Committee, I want to thank all the witnesses who appeared before the Committee and shared their knowledge, time and expertise,” stated Pat Kelly, Chair of the Committee. He added: “The collection of mobility data by the government raised concerns about privacy, transparency, and consent with many Canadians. This report contains important recommendations; I hope the government will carefully consider all of them prior to any similar data collection in the future.”

The Committee held six public meetings as part of this study and heard from 20 witnesses, including ministers and federal officials; the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and other privacy experts; and experts in sociology and ethics. It also received three briefs. The witness testimony heard by the Committee is available on the Parliament of Canada’s website: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/ETHI