The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Philip Wall, is proud to announce that the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) for Newfoundland and Labrador was recently accredited as a member of the International Conference of Privacy and Data Protection Authorities.

Data protection authorities (DPA�s) from around the globe gathered in Montreal during the week of September 25 to 28, 2007 for the 29^th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, hosted this year by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddard. During this conference, the OIPC, represented by the Assistant Commissioner, Sandy Hounsell, was accredited as a sub-national authority within this international group, along with Slovenia and Macedonia.

The International Conference of Privacy and Data Protection Authorities includes nearly 40 countries from every continent, an additional 34 sub-national authorities as well as a number of European Union groups and Interpol. In total, there are nearly 80 accredited members from around the world.

These authorities meet annually to discuss issues of shared interest or concern and to pass resolutions reflecting their common positions on matters of significance regarding privacy promotion and protection from an international perspective. For example, in Montreal last month, the DPA�s adopted a resolution calling for international standards for the use and disclosure of personal information collected by a travel carrier about its passengers. For more information on this resolution, as well as other resolutions adopted in Montreal, please see the recent news release by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, available online at //www.privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2007/nr-c_070928_e.asp.

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Newfoundland and Labrador is honoured to be a member of this distinguished organization and looks forward to working with the other members toward the protection and promotion of privacy for all citizens.

The commissioner would also like to take this opportunity to draw attention to this province�s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, passed in the House of Assembly in March of 2002. This legislation was proclaimed into force on January 17, 2005, but at that time government chose to defer proclamation of the privacy provisions. To date, these provisions have still not been proclaimed. Newfoundland and Labrador, therefore, remains the only jurisdiction in Canada without appropriate privacy legislation covering the public sector. In addition, numerous countries throughout the world have adopted comprehensive privacy protection regimes. As such, Newfoundland and Labrador is conspicuous in both the national and international communities as a jurisdiction which lacks appropriate privacy legislation. Recognizing the initiative of Canada and other countries throughout the world, as well as the OIPC�s new status as an accredited DPA, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner encourages government to proclaim these very important privacy provisions at the earliest possible opportunity and thereby establish the fundamental right of all citizens to have their privacy protected.

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2007 10 15                                                  10:30 a.m.