A Celebration of Women

is honored to Celebrate the Life of one of Canada’s Awesome women.

The information on this feature comes straight from our Prime Minister’s Office,

celebrating the re-instatement of our Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart.

Please join us in the Celebration of a Woman with the ability, care, heart, and perseverence to Take Action and not only Run for Office, but, do the job so well that she is re-instated due to her exemplary performance. In these times when our world is crying out for Women to Run for Office, this lady is a true Celebration for Women of the World, as she has devoted her life to Public Office and to the people of Canada.

 

WOMAN of ACTION

 

 

Jennifer Stoddart

 

PM welcomes reappointment of Jennifer Stoddart as Privacy Commissioner

  

 

 

 

 

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper today welcomed the reappointment of Jennifer Stoddart as Privacy Commissioner of Canada for a three-year term. The reappointment, which was recently approved by the Senate and the House of Commons, is effective immediately. “

 

Ms Stoddart has been serving as the Privacy Commissioner of Canada since December 2003.

 

“The Office of the Privacy Commissioner was created in 1977 under the Canadian Human Rights Act, Part IV. The Privacy Act, which currently governs the functions of the Privacy Commission, was adopted in 1983.

As an Agent of Parliament, the Privacy Commissioner oversees compliance with both the Privacy Act, which covers the personal information-handling practices of federal government departments and agencies, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, Canada’s private sector privacy law. The mission of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is to protect and promote the privacy rights of individuals.”

 

Jennifer Stoddart was previously President of the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec (2000-2003), an organization responsible for both access to information and the protection of personal information.

 

 

She also held several senior positions in public administration for the governments of Québec and Canada from 1982 to 2000, including at the Canadian and the Québec Human Rights Commissions.

Ms Stoddart has been active in the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, and has also lectured on history and legal sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal and McGill University. She is a member of the Québec Bar.

She was first appointed as

Privacy Commissioner of Canada

 in December 2003.

 

 

 

 

 

Ms Stoddart holds a bachelor of civil law degree from McGill University, a doctoral degree from the Université de Paris VII, a master of arts degree in history from the Université du Québec à Montréal, and a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Toronto’s Trinity College.

Complete Biography: http://www.priv.gc.ca/aboutUs/bio_e.cfm

December 7, 2010
Ottawa, Ontario

The job of a Privacy Commissioner in the 21st Century is to heighten the value of privacy in a global society where security, trade, technology and consumer expectations have created a volatile atmosphere for our personal information.

This is no small undertaking. These intensifying threats to privacy keep the dedicated staff of the Office and me extremely busy.

Globalization raises the challenge of trying to find a cross-border privacy language. Technological advances hold out the promise of greater convenience, but sometimes at a cost to human rights such as privacy and the ability to control our personal information.

Meanwhile, governments and businesses have a seemingly insatiable appetite for personal information.

Governments appear to believe – mistakenly, I would argue – that the key to national security and public safety is collecting mountains of personal data. Privacy often receives short shrift as new anti-terrorism and law enforcement initiatives are rolled out.

Personal information has also become a hot commodity in the private sector. Our names, addresses, purchases, interests, likes and dislikes are recorded, analysed and stored – all so companies can sell us more products and services.

Adding to our concerns is the fact many businesses fail to adequately protect this sensitive information – leaving it vulnerable to hackers and identity thieves.

The list of issues that the Office of the Privacy Commissioner deals with on a daily basis – through investigations, for example – will always be a lengthy one. However, we have identified four top strategic priorities, which will allow us to take a more focused approach to emerging privacy issues over the coming few years.

These priorities are:

Information Technology

While technological advances offer undeniable benefits in terms of convenience and efficiency, they also provide governments and other organizations with the ability to collect, access and manipulate personal data on a scale that was until recent times unimaginable. The result is an electronic environment of massive and continuous data circulation. Technology has also become the weapon of choice for fraudsters, who use it to launch spam attacks and invade computers with “spyware.”

We have set a number of goals in this area:•Build sufficient capacity within the OPC to assess the privacy impact of new information technologies.
•Increase public awareness of technologies with potential impacts on privacy.
•Provide practical guidance to organizations and institutions on the implementation of specific technologies.

National Security

The national security landscape changed dramatically after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Many of the national security measures introduced in the wake of that tragic day – the no-fly list, for example – have involved the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. There is a very real risk for harm when this information is misused or misinterpreted.

Our objectives are to:
•Ensure national security initiatives adequately protect privacy.
•Ensure proper oversight and accountability of national security agencies as it relates to personal information management practices.
•Raise public awareness of the privacy impacts of national security initiatives.

Identity Integrity and Protection / Identity Theft

Identity theft has been called the “Crime of the 21st Century.” This type of fraud carries not only a major financial cost, but a hefty emotional price for victims.

We are working to:•Improve personal information management practices of organizations and institutions.
•Raise public awareness among individuals on how to protect their identity.
•Persuade the federal government to take a more coordinated approach to identity protection.

Genetic Information

Advances in genetics have important implications for privacy. Genetic testing for employment, criminal matters, research, medical care, access to insurance and genetic testing to determine biological relationships all raise significant privacy issues.

Our aims are to:•Advance research and knowledge to address some of the new challenges posed by genetics in the context of traditional data protection regimes. These challenges include the right not to know and the concept of privacy in a world where a genetic sample offers information about not only an individual, but also about his or her family members.

•Raise public awareness about the many potential uses of genetic information.
We have set an ambitious agenda for ourselves over the coming few years. My commitment to Canadians is to be passionate and persistent in defending their privacy rights as we work to address all of these crucial issues.

Jennifer Stoddart
Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Four lawyers, including Jennifer Stoddart, the Canadian privacy commissioner famous for taking on Facebook and Google, have been awarded special recognitions by the Barreau du Québec, the professional order representing the province’s 23,000 lawyers.

Stoddart, a McGill University law graduate and the federal government’s privacy commissioner since 2003, received the Mérite Christine-Tourigny 2011, for her “remarkable work in the protection of personal information and because of the significant impact of her professional actions on the evolution of law in that area.”

  

A Celebration of Women

sends our blessings and congratulations to this Power of Example to all Women.

We thank you for not only taking office, but, for staying in office representing the Rights and Power of Women.

Our world needs more Women to follow in YOUR footsteps!

 

Brava Jennifer!