OFA provides comments to the Standing Committee on Social Policy and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs regarding proposed amendments to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. OFA recommends revisions to Bill 27’s proposed MAFRAA’s information governance provisions to strengthen the privacy protections regarding the collection, use and disclosure of information. It is the case with many farmers, as with some other business owners, that their personal information is the same as their information for their business. Therefore when their business information is publicly shared, so is their personal information. OFA recommends defining “personal information” more broadly in MAFRAA’s new subsection 4.1(1) to include not only “personal information within the meaning of section 38 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act” but also business information when the business and personal information are the same information, or when the business information could be used to obtain the personal information of the business owner(s) or employee(s). Further, OFA recommends that MAFRAA’s section 4.1 stipulate that personal information may only be collected if the following condition has been met: The minister, or a person designated by the minister, has determined, after considering the privacy interests of individuals and the manner in which their personal information will be protected, that there is a public interest in collecting the personal information.
Submissions & Correspondence
OFA submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs regarding proposed amendments to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Updated: November 26, 2021