Client Advisory: Bill 64 and Upcoming Changes in Privacy Legislation (Part 1 of 2)

Introduction

Privacy in Canada is rapidly evolving. Deeth Williams Wall wants to keep you apprised of the latest changes so you may prepare your organization’s compliance activities before legislation comes into effect. This Advisory summarizes actionable elements of the recently passed Québec privacy legislation with commentary on the expected federal privacy legislation.

On September 21, 2021, the National Assembly of Québec adopted Bill 64, An Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information (“Bill 64”). Bill 64 will introduce substantial changes to Québec’s private sector and public sector privacy legislation. Specifically, a number of important amendments to Québec’s Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (the “Québec Act”) will be incorporated.

Businesses and other organizations located in Québec should take notice of these amendments and change their policies and practices accordingly. Due to the substantial and far-reaching nature of the amendments, we expect that organizations located outside of Québec will also be affected if they conduct business in Québec or collect personal information belonging to Québec residents.

The purpose of this Advisory is to inform you of how the amendments brought on by Bill 64 may affect your operations and aims to enable your organization to act now and prepare your business accordingly before the significant changes come into force.

This is Part 1 of a two-part Advisory that summarizes some of the most significant changes introduced by Bill 64. Part 1 will cover the following topics:

A. the treatment of personal information; B. the new right of erasure; C. geolocation; and D. other notable new obligations for private sector organizations.

Click below to review the full Advisory: