Federal Privacy Laws in Canada
Federal legislation sets the baseline for how the Government of Canada, federally regulated businesses, and commercial organizations handle your personal information. Pick a topic below to learn how each law works, what rights it gives you, and where to file a complaint.
- Federal (private sector)
PIPEDA: Canada's Federal Private-Sector Privacy Law
How the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act protects your information when companies collect, use, or disclose it.
Read topic - Federal (public sector)
The federal Privacy Act
How the Privacy Act protects personal information held by federal government institutions.
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CASL: Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation
How CASL regulates commercial electronic messages, address harvesting, and the installation of software on your devices.
Read topic - Federal (constitutional)
Charter Section 8: Protection from Unreasonable Search and Seizure
The constitutional foundation of Canadian privacy law: your right to be secure against unreasonable state intrusion.
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Privacy offences in the Criminal Code
Criminal laws that protect your privacy, including voyeurism, non-consensual distribution of intimate images, and interception of private communications.
Read topic - Federal (proposed)
Bill C-27: Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA) and AIDA
The proposed federal reform that would replace PIPEDA and introduce Canada's first AI-specific statute.
Read topic - Federal (public sector)
Access to Information Act
How to request federal government records under Canada's access-to-information regime.
Read topic - Federal (policy framework)
Canada's Digital Charter
The ten principles that frame the federal government's approach to digital trust, privacy, and data.
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Looking for provincial or territorial law?
If your complaint involves a provincial government body, a provincially regulated business, or a health-care custodian, you may also need to look at your province or territory's privacy legislation. Start with our Provincial Privacy Laws directory.