Trudeau government says privacy rules shouldn’t apply to federal parties

The Liberals’ budget bill says privacy rules should not apply to federal political parties collecting sensitive information on Canadian voters.

The Liberal government is working to enshrine in law federal political parties’ ability to gather, store and exploit sensitive information about Canadian voters without oversight or rules.

The Liberals’ budget bill, introduced in April, allows parties to “collect, use, disclose, retain and dispose” of Canadians’ personal information as long as they follow their own self-policed privacy policies.

The move comes as the major federal parties are fighting B.C.’s privacy watchdog in court over that office’s ruling that federal parties must adhere to provincial privacy laws. The proposed federal law would supersede provincial privacy rules.

While the proposed changes require parties and their representatives to adhere to their privacy policies, those policies are not subject to any oversight – meaning Canadians essentially have to take parties at their word.

It would mean that, unlike private companies or government agencies, political parties will continue to hoover up private details about Canadians with zero oversight and almost no rules.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last month that federal parties need a “homogenous and cohesive” regime across Canada to handle Canadians’ sensitive information. His government’s budget bill does that, in the sense that it means federal parties will continue to operate with almost no privacy rules whatsoever.

“It is wholly inadequate and cynical,” wrote Colin Bennett, a professor at the University of Victoria who has advocated for privacy reform,  in a recent column in The Hill Times.

“If this passes, federal political parties will continue to be the only category of organization in Canada that do not have to abide by the basic privacy standards that apply to government agencies, private businesses, and non-profit organizations. Politicians have consistently resisted applying these same rules to their own operations.”