Voter alarmed by political party canvasser’s comments
A woman complained Elections Canada disclosed her personal information to a political party after a canvasser asked if the party could count on her continued support on election day.
The woman became concerned when she asked the canvasser how she had obtained her phone number and knew which party she was supporting and was told Elections Canada provided the information.
The Canada Elections Act allows registered political parties to obtain the electoral list from each polling division. These lists include the name and address of individuals but not the political party they supported in the last election. This information, which is provided to every candidate, Member of Parliament and registered political parties by Elections Canada, can be used for communicating with voters.
The Canada Elections Act allows individuals to delete their personal information from these electoral lists. Deleting a name in no way affects that person’s right to vote.
The complaint was not well-founded. The complainant was satisfied that Elections Canada had not provided information about her party affiliation. She was pleased to discover her name could be deleted from the electoral list sent to political parties – a step other Canadians may not be aware is available.
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