What 2026 may bring for Canada’s privacy reform efforts
What 2026 may bring for Canada’s privacy reform efforts
https://iapp.org/news/a/what-2026-may-bring-for-canadas-privacy-reform-efforts
Publish Date: 2026-02-27 10:09:00
Source Domain: iapp.org
Efforts to pass Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law modernization bill were derailed last year by the resignation of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a snap general election afterward that threatened the existing government control by the Liberal Party, which first introduced reforms in 2022.
With the dust settled from the election and the Liberal Party still in power, observers following efforts to bring potential Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act updates are eagerly anticipating what may come from the next round of negotiations and debates in the Parliament of Canada.
However, in the intervening months since winning the re-election, the Liberal-led government has yet to introduce comprehensive privacy bill in Parliament. However, there have been developments trickling out about what reintroduced comprehensive privacy reforms may contain.
What stakeholders are hearing, watching for
Privacy and legal observers in Canada are gearing up for a renewed debate in Parliament with an added push to pursue a data sovereignty agenda as outlined by Prime Minister Mark Carney in November 2025, led by the newly established Major Projects Office.
University of Ottawa Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy Teresa Scassa and nNovation Counsel Constantine Karbaliotis, AIGP, CIPP/C, CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM, CIPT, FIP, told the IAPP they believe the government was planning to introduce privacy legislation late last year, however, it did not materialize.
“I’ve heard that a bill was ready to be reintroduced before Christmas, but I believe there was a suggestion it was held up due to data sovereignty concerns (in potential legislation),” Karbaliotis said. “That has been very much dominating the Canadian government in terms of issues lately.”
While lawmakers have been tight-lipped, Scassa has heard rumblings about an expedited timeline for reintroduction.
“There have been public statements that it would be introduced before Parliament…
