Commissioner-Chaired Committees

Executive Management Board and Executive Management Board Plus

Chair: Privacy Commissioner

Function: Decision-Making Body

The Executive Management Board (EMB) and the Executive Management Board Plus (EMB+) provide leadership and corporate management to the OPC. The two Boards define the OPC’s corporate priorities, and review and approve corporate policies and accountability documents.
The EMB is comprised of the Privacy Commissioner and their Chief of Staff, the sector heads and Head of Legal Services, the Chief Privacy Officer, and the Executive Director of Communications.
All EMB members are also members of EMB+, which further includes all director-level employees.
EMB/EMB+ meet biweekly while Parliament is in session, generally alternating between the two Boards, though this changes as needed.
In addition to participating in EMB/EMB+ meetings, the Commissioner’s Chief of Staff provides Secretariat duties, with assistance from the Executive Secretariat.

Chair: Privacy Commissioner

Function: Decision-Making Body

The Strategic Issues Management Board (SIMB) was created in 2018, following the reorganization exercise of the same year. A key finding of the exercise was that the OPC’s collaboration and information sharing needed improvement.
SIMB’s purpose is to ensure effective collaboration and information sharing across the OPC on significant and strategic privacy matters.
SIMB is comprised of the Privacy Commissioner and their Chief of Staff, the sector heads and the Head of Legal Services, as well as the Executive Directors of Policy, Research and Parliamentary Affairs (PRPA), and of Compliance, Intake and Resolution (CIRD).
Additional OPC employees attend SIMB when a file for which they are responsible is discussed.
In addition to participating in SIMB meetings, the Commissioner’s Chief of Staff provides Secretariat duties, with assistance from the Executive Secretariat.
The intention is for SIMB to meet at a minimum of once per month, or more often as required to address privacy-related issues. Due to competing priorities, the SIMB has not convened since December 2019.

Chair: Suzanne Morris

Function: Recommending Body

The Audit Committee is advisory to the Commissioner. It exercises active oversight and provides objective advice and recommendations to the Commissioner on the overall quality and functioning of the OPC’s risk management, control and governance frameworks and processes. It also provides the Commissioner with strategic advice on emerging priorities, concerns, risks, opportunities, and accountability reporting.
The independent members of the Committee submit an annual report to the Commissioner that summarize the results of the Committee’s reviews of areas of responsibility during the year and provides the independent members’ assessment, and makes recommendations as needed on the capacity, independence and performance of the internal audit function.

As per the Treasury Board Policy on Internal Audit, the Commissioner is responsible for establishing and maintaining an independent audit committee for the Office, consisting of a minimum of three members, of which a majority are to be external members, not currently members of the Federal Public Service. The Commissioner is an ex-officio member and participates in the meetings.
The Committee meets quarterly and documentation is shared with members in advance for review prior to each meeting.
The Chair of the Committee meets with the Commissioner periodically.