The poll results align with the position held by the OIPC for decades.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, Diane McLeod, is encouraged by the results of a recent online poll done in Alberta on behalf of the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (BC FIPA). The poll was conducted by Ipsos, a global market research and polling company.
News releases issued by BC FIPA and Ipsos indicate that Albertans want enforceable privacy protections for voter information collected, used, shared, or retained by political parties, candidates, campaign organizations, and their agents. The poll shows substantial support for increased safeguards for voter information use by political parties and a rejection of political party self-regulation and oversight.
The poll of 801 adult residents of Alberta was conducted between May 22 and 26, 2026, approximately two weeks after news of an unauthorized distribution and use of the Elections Alberta List of Electors. The List of Electors contains the personal information of about 2.9 million Albertans, including full names, addresses, postal codes, phone numbers, and unique elector identifier numbers.
“This is the worst breach in Canadian history involving voter data,” said McLeod. “We know that many Albertans are angry and extremely frustrated about what has happened, and some even fear for their safety. My office has received nearly 400 emails and phone calls about this breach. Many have expressed a loss of confidence in the ability of political parties to protect their personal information.”
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Alberta has been calling for the province’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) to be amended to include political parties for decades. Commissioner McLeod noted this in the statement she made shortly after news of the List of Electors breach became public in late April.
“I’m aware of comments made about the uniqueness of political parties’ activities, the suggestion that existing privacy law frameworks do not align with these activities, and that compliance with such frameworks may be a burden on smaller parties or individual actors within the electoral sector,” said McLeod. “My response is that if a political party or other political actors collect, use or disclose personal information for political activities, they have a responsibility to respect privacy rights and be held accountable to uphold these rights. In terms of the effects on smaller parties or individuals, I would note that many small businesses, including sole proprietors, operate across this country and are subject to privacy laws.”
McLeod recommends the design of a privacy law for the electoral sector that aligns with the fundamental principles embedded within all privacy laws across Canada and that oversight rest with Canada’s skilled privacy commissioners, who are already positioned to undertake this work.
“Political parties should work with privacy commissioners to develop a framework to be applied across Canada,” added McLeod. “Canadians’ privacy should be protected to a common, acceptable level when it comes to political party activities, no matter where they are being carried out or by whom. This will serve to instill confidence in voters that their personal information will be managed responsibly.”
The OIPC has received hundreds of emails and phone calls from Albertans over the last month about the List of Electors breach. Below are some examples of these Albertans’ concerns.
“Albertans from every political background should be able to trust that their personal information is protected and that our democratic institutions operate with transparency, accountability, and independence.”
“My personal information should never have ended up exposed like this, and I do not think the government fully understands how unsafe this makes some families feel.”
“Knowing that personal information tied to our household could now potentially be accessed, shared, or misused is honestly terrifying.”
“Albertans trusted … political organizations to protect this information. That trust has been seriously damaged.”
“The risk of unauthorized disclosure exposes individuals to foreseeable harms, including identity theft, harassment, intimidation, financial loss, personal information on the dark web and being held by foreign governments.”
“Please help us. How can we improve the safety of our data?”
On May 7, Commissioner McLeod announced that she has launched an investigation into allegations that the Centurion Project Ltd. has collected, used and disclosed personal information derived from the Alberta List of Electors, which, if true, may be in violation of PIPA. The OIPC has also posted a Frequently Asked Questions document on its website, to assist Albertans concerned about the breach.
Through the OIPC, the Information and Privacy Commissioner performs the responsibilities set out in Alberta’s access to information and privacy laws, the Access to Information Act, the Protection of Privacy Act, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act during the transition period, the Health Information Act, and the Personal Information Protection Act. The Commissioner operates independently of government.
For more information:
Elaine Schiman
Communications Manager
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta
communications@oipc.ab.ca
Mobile: (587) 983-8766