RCMP can now participate in Clare's Law legislation in Saskatchewan and Alberta

Following extensive work by Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Government of Canada is pleased to announce that the RCMP can now participate in Clare's Law in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Clare's Law legislation allows police to disclose a person's prior intimate partner violence information to a current or former intimate partner - or third party such as a parent - through a provincially-established process. This will help Canadians make informed decisions about their safety, and the safety of their intimate partner relationships.

The Government of Canada and the RCMP took immediate steps to ensure full participation in Clare's Law legislation across Canada, while respecting the RCMP's obligations under the federal Privacy Act. This included consultations with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and Federal and Provincial governments, culminating in amendments to the RCMP Regulations, 2014.

While this work was ongoing, stop-gap measures were put in place in Saskatchewan, which was the first province in Canada to enact Clare's Law legislation. These measures ensured that anyone in Saskatchewan who came forward with concerns and was identified by the RCMP as being at risk, was provided access to victim services, relevant information, and other resources to enhance their safety.

Now that the necessary regulatory changes are in force, the RCMP is finalizing Privacy Impact Assessments to ensure its full participation in Clare's Law in Saskatchewan and Alberta - the two provinces that have passed Clare's Law legislation. Privacy Impact Assessments are necessary when a new program or process is created that includes the disclosure of personal information.

With the completion of this important work, the RCMP will be able to fully support these important intimate partner violence initiatives where the legislation is enacted and the RCMP is the police of jurisdiction.