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Law 25: What You Need to Know Before You Start

A practical 9-step guide to understand your obligations and take action, without legal jargon.

Why this guide exists

Since Law 25 (Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information) came into force, every Quebec business, regardless of size, must put specific measures in place to protect the personal information it holds.

This guide was designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses that want to understand their obligations without legal jargon, and take action quickly with ready-to-use templates.

This guide is for you if you are:

Small business owners
Self-employed workers who collect customer data
Non-profit organizations that manage member lists
Professionals (clinic, retail store, agency, firm)
Any organization in Quebec that holds personal information

How to use this guide

This guide is divided into 9 steps. For each step, you will find:

What the law requires
What it means for a small business
A concrete example
The matching template
Practical tips

What is personal information?

Personal information is any information that can identify a person, directly or indirectly. This includes, for example:

First and last name
Address, phone number, email
Date of birth
Social insurance number
Financial or banking data
IP address, login credentials
Medical or employment history

Important: Even a single piece of data (like an email address) can be considered personal information if it can identify a person.

Why compliance is essential

Respect the law

Avoid financial penalties of up to $25 million

Protect your reputation

Avoid incidents that break your customers' trust

Save time

A clear system prevents mistakes and simplifies access requests

Ready to take action?

Get every template mentioned in this guide, ready to fill in with your information.

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