10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
The briefing is available on background only.
National Press Theatre, 150 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser and Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart, will discuss the contents of the following reports, to be tabled in the House of Commons on 12 February 2009:
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada examined the Canada Revenue Agency, Elections Canada, Passport Canada and Service Canada to assess whether these agencies, which operate databases housing vast quantities of personal information, treat the information in a way that safeguards the privacy of Canadians.
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada audited the same four above-mentioned federal institutions to determine whether they work together to efficiently manage identity information, while respecting legal and policy requirements, and that they collect only the information that is relevant to program needs.
These reports are products of a collaboration between the two Officers of Parliament. The work of the two offices was undertaken concurrently because the topics of the audits are related and it was believed that a fuller picture would emerge from this approach. While each office conducted its own audit consistent with its respective mandate, the work involved information sharing between teams when appropriate. The collaboration represents a historic first.
For more information on the mandate of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada visit http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/.
For more information on the mandate of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner visit http://www.privcom.gc.ca/.
The Auditor General and the Privacy Commissioner will be available for interviews following the news conference.
Sophie Nadeau or Ghislain Desjardins
Office of the Auditor General of Canada
Tel: (613) 952-0213, extension 6292
Email: infomedia@oag-bvg.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/
Anne-Marie Hayden
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Tel: (613) 995-0103
E-mail: ahayden@privcom.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.privcom.gc.ca/
