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ARTICLE · 22 JUNE 2026

Ottawa Tables Long-awaited Federal Privacy Reform Legislation

Gowling WLG
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Canada's federal government has introduced Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, establishing a new Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission and fundamentally reshaping the country's private-sector privacy framework.

CanadaPrivacy
Antoine Guilmain
Antoine Guilmain
Wendy Wagner
Wendy Wagner
Michael Walsh
Michael Walsh
Nawal Sassi
Nawal Sassi
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On June 15, 2026, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, tabled Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, in the House of Commons.

The bill represents the Government of Canada’s long-awaited and latest effort to modernize the federal private-sector privacy framework.

Minister Solomon framed this as a significant development, noting that “the moment is here” for reform, positioning privacy protection as foundational to responsible AI innovation and public trust, a core pillar of the government’s recently announced “AI for All” strategy.

Key takeaways

  • The bill establishes a new regulator: the Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission of Canada. There is no Tribunal model as proposed in C-27, and Bill C-36 contemplates the new Commissioner assuming authority over private-sector privacy regulation, displacing the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) in this regard.

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