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ARTICLE · 13 AUGUST 2026

Employee Privacy In Canada: Key Considerations For Employers

Gowling WLG
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Employers hold vast amounts of sensitive employee data, from social insurance numbers to medical records, creating significant privacy risks. As technology enables unprecedented surveillance capabilities and Canada's privacy laws continue to evolve, organizations must proactively safeguard employee information through robust policies, access controls, and comprehensive training programs.

CanadaEmployment and HR
Jasmine Samra
Jasmine Samra
P.A. Neena Gupta
P.A. Neena Gupta
Author LinkedIn connections

It can be astonishing to realize how much private information an employer has about its employees.

A typical employer will have compensation, immigration status, social insurance number, banking and direct deposit information, birth date, family status, and dependents as well as medical information that is necessary for dealing with requests for accommodation or leaves.

The risk of a serious privacy breach or identity theft is real. Much of this personal information is available with a few clicks of a mouse.

The law is often behind technological developments. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (“OPC”) released guidelines in 2023 for employers. These guidelines, developed in collaboration with various federal, provincial, and territorial privacy commissioners and ombuds, recommend increased legislation and regulatory oversight. 

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