Compliance in a data context means meeting the legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements that govern how data is collected, stored, used, and shared. Data governance is a key enabler of compliance.
Key Compliance Areas
Privacy Compliance
Organizations subject to PIPEDA must comply with its ten fair information principles. Provincial privacy laws in Quebec (Law 25), Alberta (PIPA), and BC (PIPA) have additional requirements. Privacy compliance requires documented policies, consent processes, breach response procedures, and individual rights management. Quebec's Law 25 introduced some of the strictest requirements in Canada, including mandatory privacy impact assessments for new projects involving personal data.
Financial Reporting
Organizations must maintain accurate financial records and retain them for legally required periods. Data governance ensures financial data is accurate, complete, and auditable. The Canada Revenue Agency requires businesses to retain records for at least six years.
Industry Regulations
Healthcare organizations must comply with provincial health information protection acts (PHIPA in Ontario, HIA in Alberta). Financial institutions are subject to OSFI guidelines. Telecommunications companies are regulated by the CRTC. Each sector has specific data requirements that governance programs must address.
Compliance is a minimum standard: meeting legal requirements. Governance is broader: managing data well as a strategic asset. An organization can be compliant but still have poor data governance. The goal is both: meet legal requirements and manage data well. Think of compliance as the floor, not the ceiling.
Audit and Evidence
Compliance requires evidence. Governance programs create the documentation, logs, and records that demonstrate compliance to auditors and regulators. Without governance, compliance claims are difficult to substantiate. When a regulator asks "how do you ensure personal information is deleted after its retention period?", a governance program gives you a documented, auditable answer.
Key Takeaways
- Compliance meets legal minimums; governance goes further to manage data as an asset
- Canadian organizations face privacy, financial, and sector-specific requirements
- Governance creates the evidence trail that proves compliance
- Provincial laws vary — know which ones apply to your organization
You have finished Data Governance 101. Continue with Metadata 101 or explore the Glossary.