From the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:
The Privacy Act came into effect On July 1, 1983. This Act imposes obligations on federal government departments and agencies to respect the privacy rights of individuals by limiting the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. The Act also gives individuals the right of access to their personal information and the right to request the correction of that information.
When the Federal Accountability Act received Royal Assent on December 12, 2006, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) was added to the Schedule of the Privacy Act along with other Agents of Parliament. So, while not initially subject to the Act, the OPC became so on April 1, 2007.
Section 72 of the Act requires that the head of every federal government institution submit an annual report to Parliament on the administration of the Act within their institutions during the fiscal year.
The OPC is pleased to submit our second Annual Report which describes how we fulfilled our responsibilities under the Privacy Act during the fiscal year 2008-2009.