Bill S-4 has been wending its way through Parliament since April of 2014. The Bill amends the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) by inter alia permitting the disclosure of an individual's personal information without their knowledge or consent in specified circumstances; providing for the disclosure of personal information in the context of the business transaction; requiring organizations to take various measures in cases of data security breaches; creating offences for failure to comply with obligations related to data security breaches; and enabling the Privacy Commissioner to enter into compliance agreements with organizations.

Having been passed by the Senate last summer, it received first reading in the House on June 17; it was referred to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology last October prior to second reading.  The Committee reported the Bill without amendment on April 22, so it will now proceed to second reading in the House.

We will keep you posted and provide a full update on the legislative changes when the Bill is finally passed.

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