Liberals to introduce privacy reform bill expected to address AI, data

The federal government on Monday introduced its long-awaited update to Canada’s private-sector privacy law that promises to give Canadians more control over how their data is used in the modern digital world.

The legislation includes enhanced protections for children’s data, gives Canadians a right to request companies delete their data, cracks down on algorithmic or surveillance pricing and creates transparency measures for how automated or artificial intelligence tools are used.

It also grants federal regulators new enforcement measures, including monetary penalties to be laid against companies that misuse Canadians’ data in violation of the law.

“We’re living in a different world, and our laws need to catch up,” AI Minister Evan Solomon said after tabling the bill in the House of Commons.

The legislation builds on the online harms bill introduced last week that strengthens safety measures for social media and AI platforms.

Both bills were promised in the federal AI strategy announced earlier this month as part of a key pillar focused on safety and building Canadians’ trust in the technology.