National > Access to Information:Do access to information laws apply to information that is not held by the government? For example, can I use them to gain information from my insurance company?In all likelihood you could as the insurance company would be considered a commercial activity within the scope of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). PIPEDA sets out the rules for the management of personal information in the private sector. It applies to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information in the course of a commercial activity and across borders. Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec now have their own version of PIPEDA which means that the provincial law applies in those provinces. In those three provinces, the federal PIPEDA legislation will still apply to any private sector organisations which come under federal management such as telecommunications, and to interprovincial and international transactions. In provinces without their own version of PIPEDA, the federal law applies.
June 2006 |
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