The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants is assuming the role of mentor to small business in regard to the country's new privacy laws.

Indeed, surveys conducted by the CICA suggest that relatively few small-business people know what they'll need to do to comply with the legislation, set to come into force on Jan. 1. To remedy that situation, the CICA, along with the Canadian Bankers Association and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, is conducting seminars in cities across the country. A new CD-ROM entitled "Solutions for Today's Privacy Issues" is also available.

"There is a dreadful lack of awareness across Canada," says Nancy Hughes Anthony, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Ottawa.

The goal of the program is to educate small and medium-sized businesses about their obligations under the Personal Information Protection and Electronics Document Act. The first phase, implemented on Jan 1, 2001, covered federally regulated companies such as Air Canada and Canada Post Corp. The second phase applies to all organizations unless there are substantially similar provincial statutes in place.

The CICA readily admits that its aim in staging these seminars is not entirely altruistic. Advising clients on privacy protection could become a big business for Canada's chartered accountants.

"Accountants are experts in policies, procedures and systems dealing with finances," says Paul Roy, director of research studies with the CICA. "We deal with them day in and day out. Management of privacy issues requires the same policies, procedures and systems."