How Canadian law addresses artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, and algorithmic transparency.
TL;DR
Quebec's private-sector Act (as amended by Law 25) gives people a right to know when a decision about them was based exclusively on automated processing and to submit observations to someone who can review it. The federal Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) died with Bill C-27 in 2025 and is not part of the successor Bill C-36. The federal Directive on Automated Decision-Making already governs federal government AI use.
Quebec Law 25: transparency for automated decisions
Under Quebec Law 25, if an organization uses a decision based exclusively on automated processing, you have a right to:
Be informed at or before the time of decision.
Know the principal factors and parameters used.
Submit observations to a member of staff who is in a position to review the decision.
Federal AI law: where things stand
The Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (Part 3 of Bill C-27) would have imposed obligations on high-impact AI systems, including risk management, record-keeping, and transparency. Bill C-27 died when Parliament was dissolved in 2025.
The successor privacy bill, C-36 (Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, introduced June 15, 2026), contains no stand-alone AI statute; it addresses automated decision systems through transparency rules within privacy law.
Federal Directive on Automated Decision-Making
The Government of Canada's Directive on Automated Decision-Making governs federal programs that use AI. It requires an Algorithmic Impact Assessment, notice to affected individuals, and recourse mechanisms.