On September 22, 2021, the Act to Modernize Legislative Provisions respecting the Protection of Personal Information ("Bill 64") received royal assent, just one day after its adoption by the Quebec National Assembly. The passage and royal assent of the Bill occurred quickly after the tabling and adoption of the report of the Committee on Institutions, which took place on September 14 and September 16, 2021, respectively.
Bill 64 has therefore completed its legislative process, a year and a half after the bill was first introduced by Sonial Lebel, then Minister responsible for Democratic Institutions, Electoral Reform and Access to Information. The majority of the provisions will come into force two years after the date of royal assent, September 22, 2023, with a few provisions coming into force in one year, September 22 2022, giving companies some time to comply with the new requirements brought by the reform.
Bill 64 represents a major privacy regime reform aimed at improving transparency, increasing the level of data confidentiality and reinforcing consent requirements. Bill 64 will bring many changes to the current privacy regime in the province of Québec and lead the privacy law reform movement in Canada.
In a previous blog published on the occasion of the introduction of Bill 64 in the Quebec National Assembly, we reported on the changes to the current Private Sector Act proposed by the Bill in its initial form. In a second, more recent blog, we discussed the amendments adopted by the Committee on Institutions.
Stay tuned for more McCarthy Tétrault publications on this topic.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
