Bill C-47 is a 408-page budget implementation bill tabled on March 28, 2023 that, as one might expect, addresses matters relating to taxation — from income tax, excise tax, and GST/HST, to increasing the air travelers security charge, and facilitating the sharing of information between the Minister of Finance, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada.
The Bill also amends the Canada Elections Act to provide a national standard for how political parties handle voters’ personal information.
The amendment clarifies and codifies that eligible and registered federal political parties, and any individuals or organizations working or volunteering on their behalf, may collect, use, disclose, retain and dispose of all the personal information they wish. The individuals, organizations, and political parties must treat the information in accordance with the “privacy policy” published on the party’s website; but there is nothing to prevent parties or anyone else from monetizing voters’ information, or any requirement to respond to access requests.
The amendment also does not require that voters be notified of the purpose(s) for which their information will be collected; or that they be required, before their information may be collected, to consent to the collection, use, disclosure, or retention of their personal information by political parties or others on their behalf. The amendment does not require the collected information be destroyed or anonymized (securely or at all); and does not give voters any way or right to opt out, or any right of access to the information collected by or on behalf of political parties.
