In our November 20 privacy update, we flagged key elements of Bill C-11,
the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020, a bill that
was introduced on November 17, 2020 by the Minister of Innovation,
Science and Industry Navdeep Bains.
Bill C-11 had one day of debate on second reading, on November
24, 2020. Each of the opposition parties signalled support for the
general scope of the bill, meaning that it will likely pass this
round of debate in principle and be referred to committee to debate
the specifics of the proposed bill. Parliament's last day of
sitting was on December 11, 2020, and it will not return until
January 25, 2021.
Looking ahead, we can expect that if Bill C-11 receives
government prioritization and opposition support (and the
government does not fall), it could be passed by the end of 2021.
Companies would then likely have the whole of 2022 and possibly
part of 2023 to prepare for implementation of a new Canadian
privacy framework.
