Minister Steven Blaney Announces Full Implementation of Key Elements of Privacy Action Plan 2.0

OTTAWA, Oct. 4, 2012 /CNW/ - The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, announced today the full implementation of key elements of his Privacy Action Plan 2.0, which was launched in May 2012. This is part of ongoing efforts to further strengthen the protection of personal information at Veterans Affairs Canada,

"Our Government recognizes that building and maintaining a strong culture of privacy demands ongoing vigilance," said Minister Blaney. "We are pursuing the highest standards in privacy protection so that all Veterans can be confident their personal information is safe and their rights are being fully respected."

The Privacy Action Plan 2.0 builds on the success of the Department's original 10-point Privacy Action Plan, which was announced in October 2010 to address concerns with how Veterans Affairs Canada was safeguarding the privacy of the men and women it serves. The new measures in the Privacy Action Plan 2.0 include:

• providing targeted training on privacy principles;
• streamlining consent forms;
• ensuring new initiatives are compliant with privacy requirements; and
• monitoring and evaluating transactions that involve private information.

"Canada's Veterans have a long and proud history of defending our country's shared values and individual rights," said Minister Blaney. "The new privacy measures we have implemented are another example of our determination to do the same for Canada's heroes."

Backgrounder

Protecting the Privacy of Canada's Veterans

The Government of Canada welcomes the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's audit of Veterans Affairs Canada, which is the latest independent review to confirm the significant progress the Department has made over the past two years to safeguard the personal information of Veterans.

Veterans Affairs Canada will also implement all of the Privacy Commissioner's recommendations as the Department continues to take action to ensure its privacy practices meet the highest standards.

The Department's ongoing efforts confirm Veterans Affairs Canada takes very seriously its responsibility to protect the privacy and rights of all Veterans, men and women in uniform and their families.

The following are some important milestones in the Department's ongoing efforts to safeguard the personal information it must collect to serve Canada's heroes:

• In the fall of 2010, the Department went beyond the Privacy Commissioner's four recommendations and launched a 10-point Privacy Action Plan. The measures included the strengthening of access controls and monitoring, as well as strict disciplinary measures for those who violate the law.
• On March 31, 2011, the 10-point Privacy Action Plan was fully implemented.
• In May 2012, the Department launched its Privacy Action Plan 2.0, which builds on the success of its original 10-point Privacy Action Plan. The new measures include:
• providing targeted training on privacy principles;
• streamlining consent forms;
• ensuring new initiatives are compliant with privacy requirements; and
• monitoring and evaluating transactions that involve private information.
• On October 4, 2012, the Department announced that key elements of its Privacy Action Plan 2.0 had been fully implemented, many of which address recommendations in the Privacy Commissioner's audit.

SOURCE: Veterans Affairs Canada