Federal political parties can collect, share, and use your personal information under weaker privacy rules than most other public organizations and businesses in Canada.
Your bank. Your doctor. Your employer. Your grocery store. They all have to follow privacy laws. Political parties don't!
They can build detailed profiles about you using information from voter lists, canvassing, petitions, social media, and third-party data sources. They can use that information to target you with personalized political messaging and you have little ability to see what they know, correct it, or stop them from using it.
But people in Canada expect political parties to follow the same privacy rules as everyone else! A recent national IPSOS poll shows strong public rejection of the status quo that allows parties to set their own privacy rules:
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80% of Canadians say political parties should follow the same privacy rules as businesses and public institutions
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84% support the right to access their personal data held by parties
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85% support the right to correct or delete that data
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83% want strong penalties for misuse or breaches
What We Are Doing—and What You Can Do
We have collected more than 9,000 online signatures supporting the e-7237 Parliamentary Petition to bring political parties under privacy laws! We’re currently gathering thousands more in-person signatures at events across Canada this summer.
This fall, federal political parties will be confronted with their efforts to dodge privacy safeguards when the petition will be formally tabled by Member of Parliament Elizabeth May in the House of Commons, triggering a debate on the issue. The government will then have 45 days to respond with an official explanation of why they believe the current privacy loophole for political parties should remain in place.
Now’s the time to call or email your Member of Parliament and tell them you expect them to protect your privacy by supporting Petition e-7237. We will keep you updated throughout the process!