Canada's 2026 Privacy Priorities: Data Sovereignty, Open Banking And AI

Key Takeaways

• 2026 will bring further significant changes in privacy legislation, as well as new non-legislative tools and regulatory mechanisms.
• Upcoming legislation may include a new federal privacy statute with strict penalties and a tribunal for enforcement.
• Initiatives will focus on data sovereignty, open banking, rigorous cybersecurity requirements for critical infrastructure and AI strategy.

Over the past several years, the focus has been on reshaping privacy legislation at the federal and provincial levels in Canada. While this foundational reform is expected to continue, we also expect the privacy and data landscape in 2026 to be meaningfully shaped by non-legislative tools. These include government strategic policy, non-binding industry standards and regulatory guidance and rigorous oversight from regulatory authorities.