#DemandPrivacy: More Privacy Rights, Not Less!

People in Canada deserve strong new privacy laws – but right now, a pending bill will actually WEAKEN some of our existing privacy protections.

Currently, MPs are debating amendments to Bill C-27, privacy reform legislation with loopholes that allow companies to do EVEN MORE with our sensitive data without our knowledge and consent.

We need these holes FIXED before C-27 passes and becomes the law of the land. So let’s act together by telling our MPs that we #DemandPrivacy!

TO: Your Member of Parliament

CC: François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada

Use the box below to start crafting an email to your member of Parliament! Your MP's name will replace the placeholder {contact_data~firstName} {contact_data~lastName} text based on the postal code you enter in the form below.

{contact_data~firstName} {contact_data~lastName},

As a resident of your riding, I’m writing to express my concerns over Bill C-27, The Digital Charter Implementation Act. Without critical amendments, this bill will do more harm than good for my rights.

As compared to our existing commercial sector privacy laws, Bill C-27’s Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA) introduces a host of new exceptions to consent that will drastically reduce my ability to exercise control over my own information. In an era where trust in digital systems is essential to accessing services – like those related to my health, education, and finances – it’s important that Canadian privacy laws empower people to understand and make our own choices about our data – not permit it to be treated as a commodity to be harvested from us. The government’s announced amendments do not yet remove these consent loopholes: please ensure the final version of Bill C-27 does.

A key amendment that has been announced by the government but whose text has not yet been revealed will  recognize our privacy as a fundamental human right. The recognition of privacy as a fundamental human right that outweighs commercial interests is an essential feature of effective privacy legislation that puts people before profits. Please ensure this amendment is passed and incorporated into Bill C-27 in the strongest possible form.

Strengthening C-27 is a crucial opportunity to protect the digital rights and privacy of your constituents. I implore you to consider these concerns seriously and advocate for these amendments to Bill C-27.

Sincerely,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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Have you ever wondered what a privacy bill would look like if it were written by industry and business groups who profit from the exploitation of our personal data? It might look something like the worst, most destructive provisions of privacy reform Bill C-27.

After years of delay, C-27 is finally in the hands of the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (INDU). They hold the power to determine whether C-27 becomes legislation that protects our privacy rights to the fullest extent – or remains a crummy piece of legislation. Thanks to YOUR activism and dedication, the Industry Minister has already promised to amend the bill to recognize privacy as a fundamental human right in C-27 – a BIG improvement to the initial proposed bill. But we need that promise written down and passed, and to see them follow through on this commitment by fixing the other problematic aspects of the bill and making sure we have meaningful protections in place – not more flimsy promises.

Over the year since Bill C-27 was proposed, Minister Champagne and his team have spoken hundreds of times with companies and business groups to hear what they want from Canada’s new privacy laws -and now they’re getting it in Bill C-27.¹ While our data has been abused by companies like Tim Hortons,² Clearview AI,³ and countless data brokers,⁴ the Minister and his team have been getting cozy with Amazon, Bell, Mastercard, CIBC, and Ford.⁵ The result? Provisions in privacy reform Bill C-27 that actually make it EASIER for companies to exploit our data!

As is C-27 will introduce a whole host of new ways that companies can use our sensitive data without our knowledge, permission, or consent.⁶ It isn’t all bad – some strong, positive provisions are now included. But without key fixes the new bill will be a step backwards for the right to consent of people in Canada.⁷

But that isn’t the end of the story. Now is the BEST time for MPs to introduce amendments to this privacy bill that make it work for people. People in Canada deserve privacy reform created for the decade to come (not the one that just went). Reform that’s built upon a solid foundation of empowerment, giving us more choices about how our sensitive data can be used – not less.

If we act together to send our MPs a message, we can play a part in drafting the future of privacy in Canada. Send your message now!

Sources

12-month Lobbying Activity - Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying Canada
Double-double tracking: How Tim Hortons knows where you sleep, work, and vacation – The Financial Post
Clearview AI’s Facial Recognition App Called Illegal in Canada – The New York Times
Mapping the Data Broker Economy: Taking Back Our Data - OpenMedia
Alliance for Privacy and Innovation in Canada - Registry of Lobbyists
Bill C-27: Privacy, only worse - Public Interest Advocacy Centre
The Absolute Bare Minimum: Privacy and the New Bill C-27 - OpenMedia

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Press: Matt Hatfield | Phone: +1 (888) 441-2640 ext. 0 | [email protected]