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All of CanadaUpdated September 2026

Which Privacy Commissioner Do I Use?

A quick decision guide to figure out which federal or provincial commissioner is the right place to file your privacy complaint.

This page provides legal information, not legal advice. Consult a qualified privacy lawyer or CIPP/C-accredited privacy professional before taking action on access requests, breach response, complaints to a Privacy Commissioner, or Federal Court applications.

Last verified: September 2026

TL;DR

The answer depends on who holds the information. Use the flowchart below: is the organization federally regulated? Is it public sector? Is it a health custodian? Is it in BC, Alberta, or Quebec? Each answer points to a different commissioner.

Start here

Ask yourself:

  • Is the organization a federal government body? -> Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) under the Privacy Act.
  • Is it a federally regulated business (bank, airline, telecom)? -> OPC under PIPEDA.
  • Is it a provincial or municipal government body? -> Provincial access-and-privacy commissioner under FIPPA, ATIPP, or (in Alberta) the Access to Information Act and Protection of Privacy Act.
  • Is it a health care custodian? -> Provincial health-privacy commissioner (often the same office) under PHIPA/HIA/HIPA/PHIA.
  • Is it a private-sector business in BC, Alberta, or Quebec? -> Provincial commissioner under PIPA or Law 25.
  • Is it a private-sector business in any other province? -> OPC under PIPEDA.

Common scenarios

Quick answers:

  • Your bank: OPC (PIPEDA).
  • Your hospital in Ontario: IPC Ontario (PHIPA).
  • A federal department: OPC (Privacy Act).
  • A Quebec retailer: CAI (Law 25).
  • Your provincial ministry (Alberta): OIPC Alberta (Access to Information Act and Protection of Privacy Act, which replaced FOIP in June 2025).
  • A social media platform: OPC (PIPEDA).
  • A BC employer: OIPC BC (BC PIPA).

Multiple commissioners may apply

An incident can engage multiple regimes. Commissioners sometimes conduct joint investigations. There is no single filing that covers every commissioner; where different aspects fall under different laws, a complaint goes to each, and the commissioners may choose to investigate jointly (as in the Clearview AI and Cadillac Fairview cases).

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