The request, made in her annual report to Parliament on Tuesday, pertains to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, which is up for parliamentary review this year.
"We are considering seeking amendments that would give the privacy commissioner the discretion to visit private sector entities and review their privacy management framework and practices, " said the report, even if a breach of privacy has not yet become public.
Among her concerns in terms of protecting the privacy and identities of individuals is "intrusive" powers by the state under the guise of protecting from acts of terrorism.
"We must stand on guard against state access to the databanks of the corporate world, " Ms. Stoddart wrote.
"Fears of terrorist attacks or impending pandemics provide superficially attractive justifications for intrusive powers, but the real need for these powers is often not apparent. "
As well, she cited the growing use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in consumer products that can be linked to personal information such as credit card details.
"Even if information about the tagged item remains generic, identifying items people wear or carry could associate them with particular events - for example, political rallies or protests, " she wrote.
According to Canadian Press, Ms. Stoddart's departmental budget is slated to rise to $16.3 million in 2007-08 from $11.3 million and rise again after 2008.
