Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Announces Winner of Essay Contest

Ottawa, June 1, 2009 — The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) today is announcing the winner of the Office’s first ever 2008-2009 Essay Competition: “Think Privacy!”, and recipient of a $2,500 award.

Mathew Johnson, in his 4th year of a combined Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Laws at Queen’s University, is the winner of the competition. His essay entitled "Protecting Privacy in Public: The Need for Public Surveillance Regulation in Canada", looked at surveillance from a legal standpoint.

“Surveillance in the name of national security is increasingly pervasive,” says Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart. “The potential erosion of privacy rights is an important concern. Mr. Johnson approached this issue with a humanitarian perspective, looking at the consequences of surveillance on the lives of Canadians.” 

The competition was open to students in law schools and legal studies programs across Canada, designed to encourage them to reflect on privacy issues and contribute their ideas to the privacy realm.

Mr. Johnson will receive $2,500 for his winning essay and is eligible for an additional $2,500 in research funds from the OPC to further develop his essay into an article for scholarly publication.  The final article must be submitted to the OPC no later than September 1, 2009, for pre-publication on our website.

Eighteen essays were submitted from across the country. Other topics included trans-border data flows, protecting personal information on the internet, biometrics in passports, and the Canadian no-fly list. Students could submit essays on any one of the Office’s four strategic priorities: information technology and privacy, national security and privacy, identity integrity and protection, and genetic privacy.  

“We were extremely impressed with the caliber of essays,” says Commissioner Stoddart. “I applaud each of the applicants for the hard work they put into this contest and urge them to continue fostering their interest in privacy issues.”

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is mandated by Parliament to act as an ombudsman, advocate and guardian of privacy rights in Canada.

Media contact:

Jenn Gearey
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Tel: (613) 995-1048
E-mail: jgearey@priv.gc.ca