A federal proposal to build the biggest electronic database of personal information in Canada’s history is facing scrutiny after a report released by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) showed that fewer than half of Canadian taxpayers trust the idea. An agency report called “ePayroll Public Opinion Research” found that Canadians in the workforce are particularly concerned about having their payroll, employment, or demographic information stored in a single system operated by the government.
Nanos Research found that only seven percent of people surveyed had heard of the proposal. The federal government budgeted $43.9 million for three years’ worth of research into ePayroll, a centralized database of payroll and taxpayer information that would be accessible on a need-to-know basis by federal departments and agencies.
Currently, 29.3 million individuals and 2.5 million corporations file federal taxes in Canada, with records including information like names and addresses, as well as marital, medical, and parental status. Despite the proposal’s potential benefits, the report revealed that concerns about security and privacy loomed large among participants across all consultation sessions. Many felt that a single database collecting and storing tax, employment, and demographic data could make it an attractive target for potential attackers.
The findings of the survey were based on questionnaires with 1,717 people nationwide and focus groups in various cities across Canada. In response, the CRA stated that their vision for ePayroll in Canada is a service that allows Canadian employers to securely send payroll, employment, and demographic information to a protected Government of Canada repository, which can then be accessed by government departments and agencies when needed.
The proposal presented obvious difficulties, according to the National Payroll Institute, which described it as “one of the most complex technology projects ever undertaken by the government.” Privacy was cited as crucial given the sensitive nature of the information involved, and the institute also emphasized that public buy-in is essential for the success of the proposal.