This article overviews laws and recent developments on protecting privacy and personal data in Canada, so that contribute to the future discussion in Japan. Canada has developed its own privacy and personal data protection system in line with respecting the efforts taken by the European Union and the United States. Privacy by Design, advanced by Dr. Ann Cavoukian, has been acknowledged worldwide. I have dealt with these surroundings on privacy and personal data protection in Canada in this article. The challenges which can be found from overviewing Canadian legislations are, for example, the limitations of Ombudsmen authorities both in the federal and the provincial level; the need for obliging Privacy Impact Assessments and data breach notifications; the issue on the jurisdiction between the federal law and provincial laws; data localization provisions enacted in a specific province, the concern about the “adequacy decision” made by the European Commission. Privacy by Design has played an important role to heighten the international presence of Canada, done by its special efforts. It has become well known also among Japanese stakeholders. However, we have not only to understand the notion of Privacy by Design, but also to consider how to implement the foundational principles. Trying to solve the domestic issues along with harmonizing the international developments is the common need both in Canada and Japan. It is necessary to continuously look at discussions in Canada because they are instructive for Japanese discussions.
