Privacy & Security Consulting in Quebec
Practical privacy and security guidance for organizations in Quebec — turning requirements into processes and risk into action.
Québec's private-sector privacy framework is the most demanding in Canada. Law 25, phased in between 2022 and 2024, substantially modernized the province's privacy regime and introduced obligations that go further than PIPEDA in several important respects. Mandatory breach reporting to the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec and to affected individuals, privacy-by-default requirements, stricter consent and transparency rules, and significant administrative monetary penalties have raised the stakes considerably for organizations that handle personal information of Québec residents — including organizations headquartered elsewhere in Canada or abroad that simply have Québec customers or employees. The CAI has been an active enforcer, and organizations that have not fully adapted to the post-2024 landscape carry real exposure.
Privacy Horizon works with Québec organizations to close that gap practically and durably. Our advisors understand Law 25 in operational terms, not just statutory ones. They have helped organizations build the privacy-by-default design processes, the vendor management practices, the breach response procedures, and the accountability documentation that the law requires — not as a theoretical exercise but as working parts of how a business runs. We also advise on the continued application of PIPEDA to federally regulated sectors and to cross-border data flows, which remain relevant even for organizations that are otherwise well inside Law 25's scope.
Depending on where your organization is in its compliance journey, our work might begin with an honest assessment of current gaps, move into policy and procedure development, and continue with an ongoing Virtual Privacy Officer arrangement that keeps your program current as the regulatory environment evolves. Organizations facing M&A activity benefit from due diligence work that surfaces privacy obligations and data risks before they are embedded in a deal. Security coaching and Virtual CISO services address the security side of the equation, which Law 25 treats as inseparable from privacy. And for teams that need to understand their day-to-day obligations clearly, custom training translates the law into language that is actionable on the floor.
Privacy & security regulation in Quebec
Regulator: Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec (CAI)
Québec has Canada's most prescriptive private-sector privacy regime following Law 25, enforced by the Commission d'accès à l'information, with obligations that often exceed PIPEDA.
Law 25Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information
Québec's Law 25 substantially modernized the province's private-sector privacy regime. Phased in between 2022 and 2024, it introduced mandatory breach reporting, privacy-by-default, stricter consent and transparency obligations, and significant administrative monetary penalties.
PIPEDAPersonal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
PIPEDA is Canada's federal private-sector privacy law. It sets out ten fair information principles governing how organizations collect, use, and disclose personal information in the course of commercial activity. It applies wherever a province has not enacted substantially similar legislation — and, even in provinces that have (Alberta, British Columbia, Québec), it continues to apply to federally regulated businesses such as banks, airlines, and telecommunications, and to personal information that flows across provincial or national borders.
What Privacy Consulting includes
Privacy and security shouldn't slow your business down. Our consulting team helps you convert obligations into repeatable processes and risks into prioritized action plans, with senior guidance you can call on as needed.
Privacy & Security Coaching
Hands-on guidance to build a risk-based roadmap and prioritize what matters.
Policy Development
Practical, compliance-ready policies your team will actually use.
Virtual Privacy Officer (VPO)
Privacy program leadership without a full-time hire.
Virtual CISO (vCISO)
Strategic security leadership, posture reviews, and incident readiness.
M&A Privacy Due Diligence
De-risk transactions with a fast review of data practices and red flags.
Custom Training
Role-relevant privacy and security training for your teams.
Law 25 compliance that goes beyond paperwork
Many organizations have updated their privacy policies and created a breach register, and believe they have addressed Law 25. The Commission d'accès à l'information takes a broader view. The law requires that privacy protection be embedded by default into products, services, and processes — not bolted on after the fact. It requires documented accountability structures, a named privacy officer, and the ability to demonstrate that obligations are being actively managed. Privacy Horizon helps organizations build programs that satisfy that standard, not just the surface-level requirements that are easiest to check off.
Out-of-province organizations with Québec exposure
Law 25 applies to any organization that handles personal information of Québec residents, regardless of where that organization is based. A Toronto company with Québec customers, or a US-headquartered firm with a Montréal office, faces the same substantive obligations as a locally incorporated Québec business. Privacy Horizon advises organizations that are navigating that cross-border complexity — including how Law 25 obligations interact with PIPEDA for federally regulated activities and with privacy laws in other provinces — so that your program is calibrated to the full scope of what applies to you.
Other services in Quebec
Privacy Consulting elsewhere
What's Protecting Your Business from the Next Threat?
Don't wait for a breach to expose your vulnerabilities. Let Privacy Horizon secure your data, ensure compliance, and build lasting trust.