2026 Political Privacy Code Update

FIPA and the BC Civil Liberties Association are asking BC’s privacy and election regulators which parties remain committed to the campaign Code, whether it is shaping privacy practices, and what it means for local government elections. 

October 5, 2026 – Parties vying for political office in Canada regard the personal information of voters as an essential resource during election campaigns, and they actively collect and analyze this information. It forms the basis of donor and voter outreach and targeted communications activities. Personal information is always valuable and worthy of protection, but the stakes are particularly high in the context of elections, when the use – or misuse – of voter data can impact the outcomes of democratic processes. 

Voter privacy is essential, but the rules governing how political parties collect, use, and disclose personal information are consistently weaker and less clear than the rules that govern public bodies or private-sector organizations across Canada except BC. 

In BC the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) applies. Four years ago, provincial elections and privacy regulators came forward with the Political Campaign Activity Code of Practice a voluntary code for campaign activity to encourage better compliance with the law.  At the time, the BC NDP, BC Greens and BC United (formerly the BC Liberal Party) all agreed to basic privacy principles like obtaining meaningful consent and collecting information directly from voters.  

B.C.’s political landscape has changed, but FIPA’s focus on voter privacy hasn’t. Along with the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, we’ve written to the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer to understand the current status of the Code, to find out who is and who isn’t a signatory, and whether the regulators believe political actors are adequately protecting the personal information of the electorate they seek to serve. 

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Read the letter.

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