The federal government's Personal Information and Electronic Documents Act applies in all provinces except where legislation that provides for equivalent protection has been passed by the province.

The Personal Information and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is the federal privacy law for private-sector organizations in Canada. It applies across Canada, but provinces can enact their own privacy legislation if it is deemed to be substantially similar to PIPEDA. Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta have their own privacy laws that are considered substantially similar to PIPEDA, as does Ontario for health information.