As federal parties battle in court to avoid privacy rules for voter data, an overwhelming majority of Canadians want more oversight according to recent polling for Elections Canada.
There are virtually no rules and zero oversight into how Canada’s federal political parties collect, store and exploit Canadian voters’ personal information – an increasingly important tool in modern electioneering.
While parties are now required to post privacy policies on their websites, there is no oversight into how they actually use the data they collect, meaning Canadians essentially have to take the parties at their word
The current wild west approach to political privacy is at odds with overwhelming public sentiment, according to recent polling data commissioned by Elections Canada.
“More than nine in 10 (96 per cent of) respondents agreed that laws should regulate how political parties collect and use Canadians’ personal information, including 78 per cent who strongly agreed,” reads an Election Canada survey of voters after the 2021 general election.
The survey, conducted between August and October 2021, included 18,092 respondents, but did not provide a margin of error for individual questions
Near-unanimity among Canadians on political questions is rare, but concerns about privacy issues have been growing steadily in recent years.
While private companies and government departments are required to follow privacy laws, for example, notifying Canadians when their information has been compromised, the federal political parties have been exempt from similar constraints.
That has been a longstanding concern for Elections Canada, federal and provincial privacy watchdogs and advocates. But political parties – especially Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals – have credited modern data campaigning as a key part of their electoral success.
In their 2023 budget, the Liberals signaled they intend to bring in a new privacy regime for federal political parties – but offered no details about what those rules would look like, or if parties would be held to the same standards as private companies when it comes to Canadians’ data.
At the same time, the Liberal Party, along with the Conservatives and New Democrats, are in court arguing against the B.C. Privacy Commissioner’s order that their operations are subject to provincial laws.
Asked about why the federal government was moving on the issue now, Trudeau told reporters earlier this month that “different provinces are moving forward with privacy regimes,” and it’s important to have “homogenous and cohesive” privacy obligations for federal parties across the country.
In a recent interview with Global News, B.C. Privacy Commissioner Michael McEvoy said that any federal rules should be at least as stringent as provincial laws.
A 2020 Elections Canada discussion paper, obtained by Global News as part of an access to information request, suggests that issues with the political privacy loophole have been well-known within the government for years.
The document raises issues about Canadians’ consent to have political parties use their personal information. For instance, if a voter speaks to a door-to-door political canvasser, does that imply consent to have their information stored by that party? What about incidental information the canvasser might glean, such as ethnicity, religion, or marital status?
When political parties contract outside help – say, from a data analytics firm – should they be able to share Canadians’ personal information? Should there be rules about how political parties combine information from Elections Canada – the lists of voters – with other information?
“Parties have a legitimate need to collect and use personal information in order to better understand the electorate’s needs, communicate with them and increase their own chances of electoral success,” the document reads.
“However, based on the breadth of information that may be collected, directly or indirectly, there may be a risk that voter profiles contain information that is beyond what is necessary for campaigning purposes, and that such information is shared for unrelated purposes.”
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
