Terms of Reference for the Review by Mr. Justice La Forest

To prepare, for the consideration of the Minister of Justice, a report assessing the challenges of the current model, reviewing models used in other jurisdictions, and developing options for the Government's consideration.

In particular, the report is to include an assessment of the merits of fully merging the offices of the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner into a single office as has been done in numerous provincial jurisdictions, as well as an assessment of the merits of cross-appointing a single Commissioner to both functions while maintaining two separate Commissions.

In conducting the analysis, the reviewer should consider whether either a merger or cross-appointment would have an impact on the policy aims of the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act or the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and to advise on how best any such impacts might be effectively avoided.

The reviewer's findings and recommendations are to be submitted to the Minister by November 15, 2005.