News release

Canadian Digital Regulators Forum marks successful first year

GATINEAU, QC, May 21, 2024 – Building capacity with respect to artificial intelligence and strengthening domestic and international relationships are among the main accomplishments of the Canadian Digital Regulators Forum (the Forum) during its inaugural year.

The Competition Bureau, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) met earlier this month to discuss the successes of the past year and to set the agenda for the year ahead.

The Commissioner of Competition, Matthew Boswell, officially handed over the duties of chairing the Forum to Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne.

In a review of its first year published today, the Forum shared some of its accomplishments. They include:

• Strengthening its members’ internal capacity with respect to artificial intelligence (AI) by hosting an eight-part speaker series for employees of all three organizations that featured presentations from internationally recognized academics and industry experts;
• Joining the International Network of Digital Regulation Cooperation to strengthen international ties given the scale and global nature of digital markets and the speed at which they innovate; and
• Participating in shared learning activities, including the 2023 APEC Virtual Series on Policies and Tools for Improving Digital Economy and Competition in Digital Markets.

The Forum was created last spring to harness the collective knowledge and expertise of its members. The aim is to strengthen the work of all three agencies so that they may better respond to the scale, speed and global nature of digital markets.

Quotes

“I was pleased to chair the Forum’s inaugural year, in which we laid a strong foundation through shared learning and partnership opportunities. I am excited to see how we build on them in year two!”

Matthew Boswell
Commissioner of Competition

“As I assume the role of Forum chair, I look forward to building on a solid foundation of collaboration and to delving deeper into areas of critical mutual concern, such as artificial intelligence. Cross-regulatory collaboration will help strengthen the collective expertise and impact across our organizations as we seek to better protect the rights and interests of Canadians in the digital space.”

Philippe Dufresne
Privacy Commissioner of Canada

“The first year of the Forum provided the Competition Bureau, the OPC and the CRTC with a deeper understanding of each other’s work in the digital space. As we move into year two, the CRTC looks forward to strengthening this collaboration to help better fulfill our individual mandates for Canadians.”

Vicky Eatrides
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, CRTC

Quick facts

• The Forum is headed by the Commissioner of Competition, the CRTC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. 
• The Competition Bureau, the CRTC, and the OPC share the responsibility for enforcing Canada’s Anti-spam Legislation (CASL).
• The role of Chair of the CDRF rotates between the three members on an annual basis.

Related

• Canadian Digital Regulators Forum
• Terms of Reference of the Canadian Digital Regulators Forum
• Canadian digital regulators forum: Year one in review and year two preview

Contacts

Competition Bureau Canada
For media enquiries, please contact:
Media Relations
Email: media-cb-bc@cb-bc.gc.ca

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
For media enquiries, please contact:
Email: Communications@priv.gc.ca

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
For media enquiries, please contact:
Media Relations
Telephone: 819-997-9403
Email: media@crtc.gc.ca