Private Members Bill to Safeguard the Private Information of Ontarians
November 26, 2018, Pickering, ON –MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy, Member of Provincial Parliament for Pickering-Uxbridge supports the Private Members Bill, Safeguarding our Information Act, 2018. If passed this Bill would prevent government institutions from obtaining personal information from Ontarians without their consent. The PMB was introduced by Stephen Crawford, MPP (Oakville).
“All Ontarians deserve to be protected by robust consumer protection laws and trust that their consent will be obtained prior to the disclosure of their sensitive personal information to a government institution,” said MPP Stephen Crawford, the Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.
The Safeguarding our Information Act, 2018 will, if passed, amend the Consumer Protection Act, the Consumer Reporting Act, and the Credit Unionsand Caisses Populaires Act, to require that government institutions requesting to obtain personal information, may only disclose information if the consumer consents.
According to a recent Nanos Research survey of Canadians, 75% of respondents opposed Statistics Canada accessing personal records without consent. And if given the opportunity, the study found that 57% of respondents would not consent to having their personal financial data shared with Statistics Canada.
“In our modern economy, consumers increasingly shop online and use their credit cards more frequently to pay for everyday items. Our privacy laws must be updated and enhanced to ensure consumers are protected,” said MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy.
MEDIA CONTACT
Aleem Sufi
Constituency Office
Aleem.sufi@pc.ola.org