Privacy Policy
The Common Good Party of Canada (“CGP,” “the Party,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) recognizes that trust is important to the very people who support, join, and engage with us. This Privacy Policy sets out how we handle personal information collected in the course of our activities, and the choices available to you regarding that information. This Policy is maintained in accordance with section 446.6 of the Canada Elections Act, which requires registered federal political parties to publish a privacy policy meeting certain minimum standards.
1. Accountability: Our Privacy Officer
The CGP has appointed a Privacy Officer responsible for the Party’s overall compliance with this Policy and with our obligations under the Canada Elections Act. As of now our Privacy Officer is temporarily assigned to the party founder:
Brent Rodger
Privacy Officer, Common Good Party of Canada
[Street Address] [City, Province, Postal Code]
Email: [privacy email address]
Telephone: [phone number]
Questions, concerns, requests to access or correct your information, or complaints about how we handle personal information should be directed to the Privacy Officer.
2. What This Policy Covers
This Policy applies to personal information collected by the CGP nationally, by our riding-level associations, and by candidates and volunteers acting under our authority, as well as information collected through our website(s) [insert domain(s)]. “Personal information” refers to any information that could reasonably be used, on its own or combined with other information, to identify a specific individual.
3. Categories of Personal Information We Handle
Depending on your relationship with the Party, the information we hold about you may include:
– Identity and contact details (name, mailing address, email, phone number, date of birth where relevant to eligibility);
– Electoral roll data (names, addresses, and elector identifiers supplied to us under the Canada Elections Act for the purpose of federal elections);
– Support and participation records (membership status, donation history, event attendance, petition signatures, survey responses);
– Volunteer and organizer details (interests, availability, riding affiliation, assigned roles);
– Candidacy-related information (for individuals pursuing or holding a candidacy or nomination with the Party);
– Payment-related details (limited to what is necessary to process and reconcile transactions; full card data is held by our payment processor, not by the CGP directly); and
– Website usage data (IP address, device and browser characteristics, pages viewed, and cookie identifiers).
4. How This Information Reaches Us
We obtain personal information through several channels:
Direct submissions. Most of what we hold comes directly from you, whether you’re joining as a member, making a contribution, signing up to volunteer, registering for an event, filling out a form on our website, or reaching out to us by phone, email, or mail.
Elections Canada. As a registered party, we receive the Register of Electors annually and during election periods, containing names, residential addresses, and identifiers for electors in ridings where we field candidates. This data is used strictly for purposes tied to the electoral process — we do not repurpose it commercially, and access to it is restricted to authorized individuals within the Party.
Field and outreach activities. Canvassing, phone banks, and similar voter-contact efforts may generate notes or records about conversations, positions, or preferences you share with our representatives.
Automated website collection. Visiting our site triggers the automatic logging of certain technical details (see Section 8 below) even if you don’t submit a form.
Publicly available sources. On occasion, we may supplement our records with information that is already public, such as publicly listed contact details, consistent with applicable privacy law.
5. Why We Collect and Use Your Information
We rely on personal information to:
– Keep members, donors, and supporters informed about Party news, policy positions, and events;
– Process contributions and memberships, and satisfy the reporting and disclosure duties the Canada Elections Act places on us (including, for contributions over $200, disclosure of donor name, address, and amount to Elections Canada);
– Organize volunteers and coordinate campaign or event logistics;
– Reach electors to encourage voting and support for CGP candidates;
– Conduct research, polling, and analysis to shape our platform and outreach; and
– Maintain, secure, and improve our digital infrastructure.
We do not use personal information for purposes beyond those outlined here unless we’ve obtained your consent or are otherwise permitted or compelled by law to do so.
6. Disclosure of Personal Information
Because the CGP operates through a network of national staff, riding associations, and candidate teams, relevant personal information may be shared internally among these groups where necessary to carry out Party business.
We also work with outside vendors — for instance, providers of donation processing, email distribution, database/CRM hosting, and web infrastructure — who may process personal information strictly on our behalf. These vendors are bound by contractual obligations to protect your information and to use it only for the services they’ve been engaged to provide.
Beyond these circumstances, we disclose personal information only when the law requires or permits it — for example, to Elections Canada and the Commissioner of Canada Elections pursuant to the Canada Elections Act, or in response to a valid legal order.
We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information to outside organizations for their own marketing purposes.
7. Safeguarding Your Information
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical measures designed to reduce the risk of unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of personal information. These include restricting system access on a need-to-know basis, encrypting sensitive data in transit, and periodically reviewing our security practices and those of our service providers.
That said, no system is completely immune to risk, and we cannot promise perfect security. Should a breach occur that poses a real risk of harm, we will assess the situation, notify affected individuals as appropriate, and take steps to limit further exposure.
8. Cookies and Website Data
Our website automatically logs certain technical details when you visit — including your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you view, and the date and length of your visit. This helps us understand site performance and usage patterns.
We also use cookies (small files stored on your device) to remember preferences such as your chosen language, maintain your session if you’re logged into a member or volunteer portal, and gauge the reach of our online campaigns. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies through their settings; doing so may limit some site functionality.
9. Accountability of Staff, Volunteers, and Representatives
Everyone acting on behalf of the CGP with access to personal information — employees, contractors, riding association officers, candidates, and volunteers — is expected to understand and follow this Policy. We provide privacy-related orientation when individuals take on these roles, covering:
– The requirements of this Policy and of the Canada Elections Act, including the specific rules governing how the Register of Electors may and may not be used;
– Day-to-day practical measures — password hygiene, secure handling of physical and digital records, and how to escalate a suspected privacy incident to the Privacy Officer; and
– Clear limits on copying, exporting, or otherwise using Party data outside of authorized CGP activities.
Anyone granted access to our data is asked to confirm, in writing, that they understand and will abide by this Policy.
10. Your Options
Correcting your records If any information we hold about you is outdated or inaccurate, you can ask us to fix it by writing to [info email address] or by contacting our Privacy Officer directly.
Opting out of communications:
You’re free to stop receiving emails from us at any time — either through the unsubscribe link included in our messages, or by emailing [info email address]. If you’d prefer we not contact you by phone at all, let us know and we’ll add you to our internal Do-Not-Call list.
Raising a concern:
Any question or complaint about this Policy, or about how we’ve handled your personal information, should go to our Privacy Officer using the details in Section 1.
11. Information About Minors
The CGP does not direct its activities toward children. Consistent with our internal membership rules, individuals must be at least 14 years old to join the Party. We do not knowingly gather personal information from anyone younger than that without appropriate parental or guardian consent.
12. Updates to This Policy
We may revise this Policy periodically to reflect changes in our operations or in the law governing privacy and elections. The most current version will always be posted at [CGP website URL]. Where a change is significant, we’ll take reasonable steps to bring it to your attention, such as a notice on our website.