BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
Provincial and Territorial Elections
General Information
Most of the provinces and territories have very similar legal frameworks surrounding elections. While all provinces and territories gather your personal information in the process of carrying out their elections, the information they collect and the way they handle it can vary from province to province. So, too, can the process of accessing or removing your personal information from their databases.
To understand what pieces of your personal information your provincial or territorial government has, how it’s used, and how you can control it, it’s important to understand the typical structure governments use to collect your information.
Specific details for each Canadian Province and Territory : Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Yukon
Territory of Nunavut
The Voters List(s)
In Nunavut, the clear division between a register of electors and the voters lists is not readily apparent. Instead, voters lists are prepared for each constituency [s. 43(1)].
These lists contain the following personal information: (Nunavut Elections)
- Name
- Mailing address
- Civic address
Information for these voters lists, like with registers of electors, are gathered from voters’ own registration, and supplemented by these other sources:
- Voters lists from Elections Canada
- Previous final voters lists
- Municipal voters lists
- Any other source considered reliable by Elections Nunavut
[s. 43(2)]
Voters lists are shared with MLAs, political candidates, and registered political parties, but the use of the list is restricted to electoral purposes [s. 68(1)]. For example, in the case of candidates, they must take reasonable precautions to ensure that every authorized party they share the list with is aware of the restrictions on its use, use strong passwords on electronic copies, and destroy their copies after the election. For more details, click on “Candidate use of a voters list- MLA Elections” at this link.
Controlling your Personal Information
You have the right to have your name struck from the voters list simply by stating a desire to do so [s. 58(3)(a)]. To change your information in the list, you can call Elections Nunavut at 1-867-645-4610 or toll-free at 800-267-4394.
Sources
- Elections Act, CS.Nu, c N-60.
- Elections Nunavut’s Privacy Management Framework
- Who Can Vote? | Elections Nunavut
These pages were last updated and reviewed in the summer of 2024.
The information on these pages only contains general information and guidance; none of the information constitutes legal advice. If you have a specific issue that you believe is a legal problem, the best practice is to consult a lawyer.
The information is non-partisan, dynamic and ever changing. It is the result of FIPA’s research and public education programs.
If you note something that needs to be added, corrected, or removed, please contact us by email: fipa AT fipa.bc.ca.
