The last day of voting in the Canadian federal election is on Monday, April 28, 2025.
Access to information, privacy, and information management are important issues for all of us with every Government. FIPA is taking steps to make sure everyone knows where the parties and candidates stand on these topics as election day approaches.
We have updated our 2025 Federal Election Guide to help you bring these issues up with local candidates and parties.
To parties with members in the previous House of Commons running candidates in this election, we’ve sent the questions below along with a separate survey to their candidate.
Plus, FIPA has lots of research about privacy and access to information in our research resources and help topics . Be sure to check out your political privacy to understand and exercise your privacy rights in elections across the country.
We have multiple link segments below.
You can encourage the parties to respond to our survey.
You can send their privacy office a request for your information and ask them to respect your privacy during this election.
Be sure to check back to see how they respond along the way. We’ll have a separate campaign rolling out for the big three parties going to court to use your personal information in the days ahead.
Expand this accordion or pdfto view the questions sent to the party leaders.
Question 1 – Potential of law reform
If elected to form government, how will you reform laws and:
improve records management in public bodies?
improve access to information from public bodies?
improve the ability of people to control and protect their personal information as collected, used and retained by public bodies and private organizations?
empower and compel compliance with recommendations from independent offices?
Question 2 – Privacy reform
Canada was once considered a leader in the privacy field. Today, Canada’s privacy laws are out of date and out of step with international standards, putting our personal information at risk of misuse by corporations, public bodies and political entitles.
What is your party going to do to protect personal information from being misused?
What is your party going to do to ensure the personal information of Canadians that is not stored in Canada is protected under Canadian law?
Question 3 – Access to Information Reform
Trust is gained through transparency. Transparency allows the public to know what government money is being spent and why decisions are being made. The Access to Information Act does not require public bodies to release information that is in the public interest or release it promptly.
What is your party going to do to make the public interest paramount in access to information?
What is your party going to do to improve accessibility, effectiveness and efficiency in access to information?
What is your party going to do to eliminate delays and ensure access requests are responded to quickly?
Question 4 – Indigenous Information Rights
Indigenous peoples, while struggling to access information needed to pursue Truth and Reconciliation, have also been advocating for greater data sovereignty. For example, First Nations seeking to investigate deaths at Indian Residential Schools still encounter barriers accessing information.
What steps will you take to ensure the specific information access and privacy rights of Indigenous Peoples are respected?
What steps will you take to recognize and advance principles of Indigenous data sovereignty?
Question 5 – Recordkeeping of information assets
Public records need to be both created and managed effectively. Recordkeeping promotes effective public governance and establishes a common source of reference for public employees, it is a prerequisite to both evidence-based and data-driven decision-making.
If elected to form government, what steps will you take to:
identify the government’s needs related to recordkeeping and areas for potential improvement?
improve the requirement for public bodies to record information of value?
increase the proactive release of information under the control of public bodies?
Question 6 – Independent oversight and accountability
Multiple governments of every political stripe and at every level have consolidated power in the executive, reducing the capacities and independence of appointed commissioners and oversight offices. Subsequent governments have been slow to correct these changes. The public broadly expects government to act on the laws that are passed and on recommendations received from independent oversight bodies.
How will you reform laws to reset the relationships between the executive, the backbench and the parliament to provide peace, order, and good government with delegated authorities and accountability in a liberal democracy?
How will you ensure that robust, independent oversight mechanisms are in place to monitor and enforce compliance with recordkeeping, access to information, and privacy legislation?
What safeguards will you implement to protect the independence of these oversight bodies?
How will you ensure that independent offices have the resources they need to address expanding mandates and demand?
Expand this accordion or follow this link to view the survey questions sent to available email addresses for federal candidates.
Segment 1 – Candidate Information
Candidate name
Party Affiliation
Federal Riding
Contact details
Segment 2 – Awareness of Access, Privacy, and Audit
In my previous experience inside or outside of government I have had the opportunity to directly engage with the following offices:
In my previous experience inside or outside of government I have had the opportunity to directly engage with the following legislation:
Often, Seldom, Never
Segment 3 – ATIP Experience and Perception
I have filed an access to information request.
I would describe my experience in filing access to information requests as positive or negative.
I have been involved in responding to an access to information request.
I would describe my experience in responding to access to information requests as positive or negative.
Segment 4 – Expectations around accountability and governance
I expect public bodies to comply with and implement laws passed by parliament.
I expect public bodies and parliamentarians to act on the recommendations that they receive from independent oversight bodies like The Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and Office of the Auditor General of Canada.
I expect a public body to create and maintain full and accurate records necessary for the efficient and effective administration of activities.
I expect that when a public body has the option to exercise its discretion in releasing information it will consider the public interest in disclosure.
I expect all political parties and their candidates to collect, protect and respect my personal information by expressly complying with federal and provincial privacy laws.
To ensure the highest standards of public sector recordkeeping are met and the public interest is considered, how important do you think it is to make the following prospective changes:
Changing organizational cultures towards accepting public interest disclosure and improving records management practice.
New regulations that ensure records management systems meet international standards.
Increasing resource allocation to freedom of information and records management functions in public bodies to reduce administrative burden and develop in-house expertise.
Legislation establishing an office to hold public bodies accountable for recordkeeping, akin to a Commissioner and auditor for records.
Legislation to introduce administrative monetary penalties for public bodies that unjustifiably delay processing access to information requests and have unjustifiable recordkeeping failures.
Very important, Somewhat important, Not Very Important, Not at all important, Don’t know
Segment 8 – Information rights as a member of Parliament
I am aware that, if elected, I can submit a written question to Ministers on the order paper.
How likely are you to subscribe to FIPA or take part in its extended network?
Do you have preferred social media network or platform?
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
Check out each linked page to see the questions and responses we received in 2025 from Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Yukon as well as the Federal Election.
There are lots of ways to work with us or act as an Academic Advisor. We are always open to making our research results better so be sure to provide any feedback and constructive criticism regarding this publication to FIPA at fipa.bc.ca .
