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Canada’s privacy watchdog is calling on the next government to give it the power necessary to crack down on the likes of Facebook.

Federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien revealed his report Thursday on the social media giant’s handling of a scandal involving the misuse of Facebook data by the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

His conclusion: Facebook violated Canadians’ privacy -- and several laws in the process.

The problem: “It is untenable that organizations are allowed to reject my office’s legal findings as mere opinions," he said. “Facebook should not get to decide what Canadian privacy law does or does not require.”

That’s a much different scenario than the one we’re seeing play out around the world. Facebook faces the possibility of billions of dollars in fines in the United States, and has already been fined £500,000 ($870,000) in Britain for the lapses.

But Canada’s regulator said it does not have the power to levy such penalties, and will ask the Federal Court to force Facebook to comply with privacy laws -- a process that could require more than a year and lead to fines in only the tens of thousands.

Mr. Therrien urged Canadians to tell governments to give watchdogs the teeth to act themselves.

This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Aron Yeomanson. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.

TODAY’S HEADLINES

A secret meeting between Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer and oil-industry executives is concerning because Canadians need full transparency from political parties leading up to next fall’s federal election, Minister for Democratic Institutions Karina Gould said.

The federal carbon tax will generate more than $6.2-billion in revenue in four years, but government rebates will ensure the vast majority of Canadians paying it will come out ahead, the parliamentary fiscal watchdog said in a report.

Canada is pouring money into an outdated prison model that provides questionable value for dollars spent, according to an internal analysis by the federal corrections ombudsman.

Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson unveiled new standards for marine-protected areas in Canada, fully prohibiting oil-and-gas activity, as well as mining, waste-dumping and bottom-trawling.

Some Indigenous groups say an agreement that proposes to compensate former students of Indian day schools is seriously flawed and will not provide the emotional or legal help required by those who were abused at the institutions as they file their claims.

Under pressure over sky-high gasoline prices, B.C.'s Premier said he will ask his top civil servant to find solutions for consumers concerned about the cost at the pump.

Senior students at a high school in Mississauga have learned that a number of courses in the arts, technology and social sciences are being scaled back or cut in the next academic year – providing a first glimpse into the impact of the Doug Ford government’s plans to increase class sizes.

U.S. President Donald Trump approved payment of a $2-million bill presented by North Korea to cover its care of comatose American Otto Warmbier, a college student who died shortly after being returned home from 17 months in a North Korean prison, the Washington Post reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russian President Vladimir Putin peace and security on the Korean peninsula depended on the United States, warning that a state of hostility could easily return.

Fugitive Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is continuing to fight for independence while in exile.

The European Union hit out against Russia’s move to fast-track citizenship applications from people living in conflict areas in eastern Ukraine, slamming it as an attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty that would undermine an already-fragile peace agreement.

Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on the optics of a Conservative meeting with the oil industry executives: “The problem isn’t the voters in Ontario or B.C. or Quebec who see the oil patch as big polluters to be shut rather than economic drivers. The Tories won’t get those votes, anyway. But there are a lot of other voters in those places who might be more sympathetic to Mr. Scheer’s arguments about the oil sector’s contribution to the economy – but not if they think he’s a spokesman for oil executives. And he has helped his opponents paint that picture.”

Lori Turnbull (The Globe and Mail) on the Liberal vetting process on judicial appointments: “This whole thing would be easier if we were to adopt a conclave-style approach to judicial appointments – a secret meeting, a puff of white smoke and we’ve got a new judge. But modern standards of democracy would not (and should not) tolerate such a lack of transparency. With increased transparency comes uncomfortable proximity to the sausage-making process – but it’s only fair that when we assess what’s inside the casing, we need to understand the full context of how the meat was sourced in the first place.”

Andrew MacDougall (Maclean’s) on Trudeau and climate policy: “If Trudeau can fly all the way across the country for a few days of rest and relaxation then the ordinary Canadians who the Prime Minister is trying to convince to limit their carbon footprints can go to the Caribbean (or points further) for the same. What climate gospel can Trudeau possibly preach when he took the Challenger jet back and forth to Florida on vacation twice in one week?”

Robyn Urback (CBC News) on the lack of female first ministers in Canada: “Canada is likely not experiencing a sexist regression so much as it is a desire for change at the provincial level, yet the change options presented to voters all seem to use the same bathroom. That is partly a function of largely internal party elections, where it is not as simple as the one with the most votes wins; it’s also about finicky intraparty politics, including who can win the most endorsements from the existing caucus, earn the backing of exiting candidates, who can hire the best strategists and who can collect the most fundraising dollars.”

Justin Ling (The Globe and Mail) on power sharing in political parties: “Co-leaders, work-share leaders, leadership cabals – they’re all ideas that, on paper, actually make a surprising amount of sense, in a number of different ways. That model might encourage more co-operative decision-making, compensate for the perceived failings of certain politicians to promote party unity and even encourage would-be mothers to run and take up high positions.”

John Evans (The Globe and Mail) on Ontario cuts to legal aid: “The federal government will now have to step up its level of funding. For one thing, the Charter requires refugee decisions to be made in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. Rejecting the refugee claims of those who cannot afford a lawyer offends this constitutional standard. It also tarnishes Canada’s international record in the field of human rights. What is clear is that neither claimants nor the justice system are well served by these cuts. They are short-sighted and should be reversed.”

David Shribman (The Globe and Mail) on the constitutional confrontation in the U.S.: “The confrontation brewing in Washington has grave risks for both sides. Mr. Trump’s defiance is yet another breach of contemporary American political practice, a notion that many Republicans acknowledge in private. But the zeal of Mr. Trump’s rivals to force this confrontation has the potential of backfiring on the Democrats, a hope the Republicans – scorched by their own efforts more than two decades ago – are airing publicly.”

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