A local MP is blasting a Stats Canada request to release the personal information and financial transaction data of half a million Canadians from banks across the country.
“It’s really troubling actually that they’re going after this kind of information,” said Bob Zimmer, MP for Prince George, Peace River and Northern Rockies and Chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
According to him, they are asking for not just broad information, but also bill payments, cash withdrawals from ATMs, credit card payments, electronic money transfers and account balances.
“It’s beyond data, it’s going after some pretty personal things in our lives and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen,” said Zimmer.
“It’s an overreach beyond what’s reasonable. If they would explain themselves a little bit about why then that would be a start.”
Zimmer said he thinks Canadians should be upset about the news.
“It’s alarming to me, the little response that it gets on social media. I just wish Canadians would see the seriousness and the gravity of what is even being thought of by our government.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the decision and said his government would ensure that “all personal information would be protected and the anonymized data will be used for statistical purposes only.”