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Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada: Info Source





Classes of Personal Information

In conducting its programs and activities, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer may accumulate personal information that is not contained in a specific personal information bank. This information is stored in a fragmented form throughout the general subject files of the agency, where records are not normally retrieved by the name of the individual or other personal identifier. This information is retrievable only if specifics are provided concerning the subject matter, the related institutional activity, as well as the date on which the information was received by the institution and the name of the person to whom it was addressed. The personal information contained in these files is retained for the same amount of time as the related subject information and disposed of according to the appropriate records schedules.

Correspondence

This class of personal information consists of correspondence addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer or other officials from sources external to the institution, in the form of requests for information, complaints, opinions and other submissions pertaining to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer’s activities. This correspondence may contain unsolicited personal information that has been provided by the correspondent. This information can only be retrieved if specifics of name, date of communication and subject are provided; it is not arranged or retrievable by personal identifiers. The retention period of this class of personal information is controlled by the records schedules of the general subject files in which the information is stored.

Electoral Redistribution

This class of personal information relates to individuals who make representations to electoral boundaries commissions during the federal electoral redistribution exercise following each decennial census. The personal information these individuals provide may include their names, addresses and contact information; names of organizations that they represent (if any); their preferred official language; any accommodation needs they may have; and representations on the proposed redistribution. This information is not used for administrative purposes. Individuals seeking access to their personal information must indicate the electoral district for which they made their representation(s). It should be noted that representations sent or presented to the electoral boundaries commissions – along with names of authors – are considered public information and may be accessible to the general public. They may also be included in transcriptions of public hearings or published on the Internet.

Political Financing Returns

This class of personal information is found in the financial returns of federal election candidates, nomination contestants, leadership contestants, registered political parties, electoral district associations, referendum committees and third-party election advertisers. The personal information that may be provided includes names, addresses or other personal information. The personal information is not used for administrative purposes. Individuals seeking access to their personal information must provide the title of the report in which they are mentioned, the name of the relevant political entity, or any other data that may help to identify and locate the personal information they are seeking.

Public Opinion Research

This class of personal information pertains to public opinion research conducted by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer on various topics related to the mandate and mission of the institution. Retrievable records consist of data gathering instruments, such as, but not exclusively, questionnaires that may contain personal information revealing the identity of the research subject. Data contained in this class of records is not used for administrative purposes. Individuals seeking access to these records must provide the title of the research project in which they participated, the location and the date of the research, and any other data that may help to identify and locate the personal information they are seeking.