Bill C-4: Affordability Measures Welcome But Privacy Rollback Must Be Stopped

Bill C-4 Affordability Measures Welcome But Privacy Rollback Must Be Stopped

At the London Chamber of Commerce, we support measures that help Canadians and businesses manage the rising cost of living. Bill C‑4, the Making Life More Affordable Act, introduces important steps in that direction, including tax relief and housing-related rebates. These are timely and necessary, especially as our members continue to face pressure from inflation, labour shortages, and increased operating costs.

But Part 4 of this bill—which proposes sweeping changes to the Canada Elections Act—has absolutely nothing to do with affordability. In fact, it threatens to undermine one of the core values that makes our democracy and economy work: trust.

This section of the bill would exempt federal political parties from independent privacy oversight. They would no longer need to obtain consent to collect personal data, nor would they be required to notify individuals if their data is misused. These parties would simply be required to post privacy policies on their websites—policies they write, interpret, and enforce themselves. The Privacy Commissioner would be sidelined, and Canadians would have no recourse to access, correct, or challenge the data collected about them.

To make matters worse, these changes would apply retroactively to the year 2000, effectively shutting down active privacy complaints and court challenges.

For the business community, this sets a dangerous precedent. Canadian businesses are expected to comply with strict privacy standards under federal and provincial legislation. Failing to do so comes with real legal and reputational risks. Companies invest heavily in privacy compliance not just to follow the law, but because consumer trust is essential to operating in a modern economy.

How can we expect citizens to trust our institutions—or their data to be handled responsibly—if political parties are allowed to exempt themselves from the very standards they enforce on everyone else?

Political parties are not small, private clubs. They are powerful organizations that collect vast amounts of personal information and play a direct role in shaping government policy. If anything, they should be held to higher standards, not lower ones.

Privacy is not just a legal concern—it’s an economic one. Canada’s growing digital economy relies on consistent, credible privacy frameworks that apply equally across sectors. Undermining that consistency for the sake of political expediency threatens to erode public confidence in both government and commerce.

We have brought these concerns directly to our local Members of Parliament, and we urge elected officials across party lines to take this seriously. Parliament still has time to get this right:

• Part 4 should be removed from Bill C‑4, and

• Any changes to political privacy rules should be sent to an appropriate parliamentary committee, where they can be studied transparently with input from privacy experts, legal professionals, and civil society.

At a time when Canadians are already questioning the strength of democratic institutions and worried about their economic future, we should be working to strengthen transparency and accountability—not weaken them.

Businesses are doing their part. Political leaders should be held to the same standard.