Canada – Outrage Over Government’s Banking Data Access Grows (Video)

The outrage in Canada over the liberal government’s intention to collect the banking data of up to half a million Canadians for statistical purpose continues to grow. More political parties are calling on the government to put the policy aside. Meanwhile, the state is trying to explain via newscasts why it needs the public’s data.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justin Trudeau thinks he has the right to peer into YOUR bank account. He doesn’t. This needs to stop. <a href="https://t.co/qCVGlghdPX">pic.twitter.com/qCVGlghdPX</a></p>&mdash; Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewScheer/status/1058441951568191489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Already several years ago, the conservative government of PM Harper decided to eliminate the long-form census, which collected data about housing, transport, employment, income and other key attributes required by various tiers of governments to plan and deliver public services. The protest from then chief statistician Munir Sheikh led to him resigning his position.

Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/40812-PM-Trudeau-Astonishingly-Seizes-500-000-Canadians-Banking-Data-Without-their-Consent"> PM Trudeau Astonishingly Seizes 500,000 Canadians Banking Data “Without their Consent”</a>.

This time round, statistics Canada, the agency that collects data on Canada’s economy, society and environment, says it wants to provide decision-makers with key information to function effectively.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Statistics Canada looking at people’s banking records? Now that’s going too far <a href="https://t.co/tg4ACXxad2">https://t.co/tg4ACXxad2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/fpcomment?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fpcomment</a> <a href="https://t.co/SIJCsRhfp9">pic.twitter.com/SIJCsRhfp9</a></p>&mdash; FP Comment (@fpcomment) <a href="https://twitter.com/fpcomment/status/1058362636822298624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Explaining that any personal data would be left out of the equation, Mr Trudeau’s government needs to know, for example, how much you spend on bakery products per month in your region in order to make a decision on whether or not to give more support to struggling bakeries in the area.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to defend the plan, insisting that “High quality and timely data are critical to ensuring that government programs remain relevant and effective for Canadians.”

However, with big data scandals all the rage this year like Facebook’s Cambridge Analytic which affected 90 million users and Uber’s financial transaction scandal affecting 57 million customers, Canadians are understandably worried.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Statistics Canada not only wants your credit card transactions, but also your Internet records: <a href="https://t.co/jIL1K0sp5h">https://t.co/jIL1K0sp5h</a></p>&mdash; OpenMedia (@OpenMediaOrg) <a href="https://twitter.com/OpenMediaOrg/status/1058502278003474433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Furthermore, it is safe to assume that government computer servers are less immune from infiltration than the ones operated by Silicon Valley. With all this and knowing that the government will not inform Canadians whether or not their data is being looked at, the policy is proving very unpopular indeed.

Source:

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-maybe-statcan-needs-our-banking-data-to-fight-global-warming

Follow me on Codias: Steve Dellar

Follow me on Twitter: @steve_Dellar

The Goldwater proudly supports 8chan