There is one issue of particular
concern to me right now, it is our right to privacy when dealing with
government departments and institutions. Yes, I know that governments are entitled to use our
personal information for their own purposes, but we have never given them a
mandate to share personal information with a foreign government. There is a
real potential for that to happen now that the Ontario Government has
contracted the management of our fish and game licensing system to an American
firm.
The
database of all Ontario fish and game licensing records now resides in
Nashville, Tennessee. There was little fanfare or flag waving on the part of
the provincial government regarding the issue, as is the norm when governments
of all levels want to show that they have created efficiencies that will save
money. So I have to wonder if this is simply an exercise in “creative
accounting” rather than a matter of true cost reduction or improved efficiency.
I’m sure that government representatives and bureaucrats have an iron-clad
contract stating that all records are the property of the Ontario Government
and as such are proprietary, confidential, and in compliance with our Privacy
Protection Act, but if you think that U.S. Homeland Security won’t trump the
Ontario Government when information is in the hands of a U.S. company, think
again.
Contracting
out by governments may be the right thing to do in some instances, but not when
individual privacy is at risk; so two thumbs down to the McGuinty government on
this one.
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