Your Data. Your Vote.

Federal political parties collect, share, and use your personal information under weaker privacy rules than most businesses and public institutions in Canada. They can build detailed profiles about you from voter lists, data brokers, canvassing, and social media, while giving you little ability to access, correct, or delete that information.

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:

80% of Canadians say political parties should follow the same privacy rules as businesses and public institutions
84% support the right to access their personal data held by parties
85% support the right to correct or delete that data
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.

You can help, too! Download the petition package here, bring it to your family gatherings, community events, or other summer get-togethers, and collect signatures from people you know. Mail the completed forms to us by September 2, to OpenMedia, 1424 Commercial Drive, PO Box #21674, Vancouver, BC, CANADA V5L 5G3. We'll combine them with the rest of the signatures before delivering them all to Member of Parliament Elizabeth May for tabling in the House of Commons.

This fall, federal political parties will be confronted over their efforts to dodge privacy safeguards when the petition will be formally tabled 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 it believes the current privacy loophole for political parties should remain in place.

You can also 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!

The Risks Are Real

Detailed political profiles can reveal where you live, who you live with, what issues matter to you, and what you believe.

The consequences are not hypothetical.

In Alberta, a political organization exposed the personal information of more than 2.9 million voters, including home addresses. The breach put countless Canadians at risk, especially victims of crime and others whose personal information should never have been exposed.

As AI makes political micro-targeting even more powerful, the need for strong privacy protections is only growing.

The Problem

Federal political parties collect and use deeply personal information about millions of Canadians without being subject to the same privacy laws and independent oversight as other organizations.

Today:

No independent privacy oversight.
No meaningful penalties for misuse.
No right to see what information a party holds about you.
No right to correct inaccuracies.
No right to demand your information be deleted

Canadians Want Change

Canadians overwhelmingly believe political parties should follow the same privacy rules as everyone else.

Privacy regulators, election experts, parliamentary committees, and Senate committees have all called for stronger oversight.

Yet federal political parties continue to operate under weaker privacy standards than the organizations they regulate.

Privacy is not partisan. Accountability should apply to everyone.

Parliament Won't Act Unless Canadians Demand It

Political parties have little incentive to give up their special exemption from meaningful privacy oversight.

That's why public pressure matters.

A petition with thousands of signatures will send a clear message to Members of Parliament that Canadians want political parties to follow the same privacy laws as everyone else.

The risk is real. Demand accountability!

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OpenMedia's community works to keep the internet open, affordable, and surveillance-free for people across Canada and around the world.

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The Canadian Civil Liberties Association defends the fundamental human rights and civil liberties of people in Canada.

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The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association advocates for the privacy rights of people in British Columbia and across Canada.

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This campaign is supported by the Centre for Digital Rights, a not-for-profit that aims to promote public awareness of digital rights issues related to the data-driven economy.

This page is hosted by OpenMedia. Find OpenMedia's privacy policy here.