Mapping the Political Influence Industry in Canada

The Canadian context for data-driven political influence is a unique one to monitor; while Canada does have federal laws on privacy (including the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)), the Federal Political Parties are exempt from these regulations. This means that effectively the political parties are beholden to no laws with regards to their collection and use of personal data in profiling and targeting voters. Even the anti-spam legislation (CASL) specifically excludes the political parties.

One of the few rules that must be adhered to is the Canada Elections Act (CEA) which requires parties to submit their own privacy policies to the appointment government official to be made public. However, there is no oversight to make sure that the policies align with general laws and finally, there are not penalties for breaches of these policies. As the research and advocacy non-profit organisation OpenMedia writes, without any oversight the FPPs,

“write their own privacy laws, and give themselves no limits to the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information – so long as they are transparent about it.”‐ OpenMedia,The Political Influence Industry in Canada, pg. 10

Despite calls for reform from government officials to civil society organizations, which have been backed up with evidence from public opinion surveys signaling that the public was both unaware and are dissatisfied with the status quo, there have been no substantial improvements or changes. OpenMedia is one of these actors “creating engagement campaigns and raising awareness of the regulatory gap” (pg 13) in the field of data-driven elections. OpenMedia’s research on personal data in politics, and the surrounding influence industry, has been a significant part of their ongoing project to hold political parties to account in Canada.

In July 2024, OpenMedia published a report and open database of companies that was compiled across months of research and using a methodology inspired by the Explorer database. Using first and secondary sources, OpenMedia identified companies who had recently engaged in one or more activities of collecting, analysing and using data for one or more political parties at the federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal level. The primary sources included company self promotion and election spending reports for two of the most recent elections at the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal levels across 12 of Canada’s largest municipalities. For secondary sources, the team reviewed academic papers, literature and other publications such as companies found by the Influence Industry Project and housed in the Explorer database such as Data Sciences, Inc. and McLaughlin & Associates.

Through this methodology, the OpenMedia team found 91 companies. While their list is not exhaustive, due to inconsistent election spending reporting in different jurisdictions, it can serve as a snapshot of the types of firms that stand to benefit from the industry. The report highlights key findings such as the types of services offered and a high-level break down detailing how many companies worked on each service.

Image 1: Infographic showing number of companies by category identified by OpenMedia's research.Credits: Image by OpenMedia

Also offered in their report are seven in-depth case studies on several of the firms offering a closer look at the company, the specific tools or services offered and which elections they were known to have worked in. Readers can learn more about companies like Populus,a voter relationship management platform, CallHub, a voter contact tool, and CIMS2GO, the Conservative Party canvassing app. Many of the companies identified by OpenMedia were already in the Explorer database, due to their work in other countries, but without evidence tying their work to Canada. Soon companies like Blue State Digital, 270 Strategies and Aggregate IQ will be updated to show their work in Canada and beyond.

We encourage readers to check out the “The Political Influence Industry in Canada” by OpenMedia to learn more about the unique Canadian political landscape, OpenMedia’s research methodology and key findings as well as to read the individual company highlights. The identified companies are captured in an interactive, online AirTable: here.

Check out OpenMedia's report: The Political Influence Industry in Canada

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If you or your organisation are interested to conduct similar research and identify influence industry companies in your own country, or if you already have, we are always adding to the Explorer and would be glad to discussion collaborations. Please get in touch via ttc@influenceindustry.org and with the subject link “Influence Industry Companies”.

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About the Author:

OpenMedia is a community-driven organization that works for an open, affordable, and surveillance-free Internet. Their a civic engagement platform that educates, engages, and empowers Internet users to advance digital rights across North America. Learn more on their website, or connect via their Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, or Instagram pages or via their website openmedia.org.

This piece was written by Cassie Cladis based on the original report by OpenMedia.

Thank you to editing from Amber Macintyre.

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The Influence Industry Project is led since 2016 by Tactical Tech’s Data and Politics team addressing the pervasive data-driven technologies used by political groups within elections and political campaigns.

First published: September 18, 2024