Nunavut

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Nunavut (IPC Nunavut)

A single Commissioner covers both access-to-information and privacy oversight for the Nunavut public sector; there is no separate privacy-only body. The Commissioner's authority derives entirely from the territory's ATIPP Act — as the office puts it, "If it's in the ATIPPA, we can do it. If it's not in the ATIPPA, we cannot do it." The office reviews appeals from individuals dissatisfied with Government of Nunavut responses to access requests, investigates complaints about unauthorized collection, use, or disclosure of personal information by the territorial government, and offers guidance and recommendations on ATIPPA matters. It is an ombudsperson-style office: it cannot issue binding orders, only recommendations, and it has no jurisdiction over federal, municipal, or private-sector bodies — only the Government of Nunavut and its public bodies.

Laws and regulations administered:

• Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, CSNu, c A-20 — governs access to records and personal information handling by the territorial government, together with its Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Regulations.

Nunavut has no private-sector privacy statute; PIPEDA applies federally in its place.

Pending and proposed legislation

• A comprehensive statutory review of ATIPPA, originally recommended in a 2017 review report, remains ongoing. As of the Government of Nunavut's September 2025 response to the Legislative Assembly's standing committee, the review was in the analysis and drafting stage, with the resulting document to go before the next government for consideration following the fall 2025 election. Amendments under discussion include a statutory annual-reporting requirement for the responsible Minister and new rules on disclosing the remuneration of certain public-employee classes.
• The Department of Health has stated an intention to introduce health-specific privacy legislation in the next government's term, following public consultation. This does not yet exist and is not yet law.