Human Resources Minister Jane Stewart yielded to public anger yesterday and ordered the Big Brother database to be dismantled, backtracking from her initial staunch defence of the program.
After enduring months of opposition hammering over alleged mismanagement of job-grant funding, Ms. Stewart moved quickly yesterday to end the outcry over Ottawa's ability to track individuals in a single database.
The minister told a news conference that her department had already eliminated computer links between its database and those of Canada Customs and Revenue Agency and the provincial social-assistance offices.
Ms. Stewart said the government would continue to provide Canadians' personal information to researchers to ensure its various programs are working.
But the information will have no personal identifiers when it is provided to researchers, there will be new measures to inform Canadians about the use of their personal information, and she will recommend legal protections covering the use of information by her department. "From my point of view, the time is right, the time is now to dismantle that file and to implement a new strategy so that we can continue to have access to the information we need in an appropriate way and absolutely to ensure that privacy of Canadians is paramount," Ms. Stewart told reporters.
Privacy Commissioner Bruce Phillips, who revealed the existence of the government's so-called Longitudinal Labour Force File in his annual report two weeks ago, applauded the minister's action.
The move "reflects her recognition of the importance that Canadians place on their right to privacy in their dealings with government," Mr. Phillips said.
"I have no doubt that these steps will greatly reinforce public confidence in HRDC's management of Canadians' personal information.'"
The database contained as many as 2,000 pieces of information on almost every Canadian, including income-tax returns, child-benefit statements, immigration and welfare files and records on employment insurance.
News of its existence sparked anger among opposition MPs, the provinces and individual Canadians. The Quebec government called for the elimination of the database while B.C. Attorney-General Andrew Petter called the database "truly scary."
In the Commons yesterday, opposition MPs ridiculed Mr. Stewart's retreat, saying the database should never have been constructed in the first place and was dismantled only because 18,000 individuals have swamped the department with requests to see their files.
"Why does it take constant hounding from Canadians before this minister will do the right thing?" demanded Canadian Alliance MP Deborah Grey, the interim opposition leader.
She noted that Ms. Stewart had defended the government's use of a database, saying the information was encrypted and that no laws had been broken.
"Why was her database essential last week but it is a security risk this week?" Ms. Grey asked.
Ms. Stewart said the government was responding to concerns raised by Mr. Phillips in his report, although the privacy commissioner had been privately urging the government to dismantle the database for months and went public with its existence only when negotiations hit a stalemate.
The minister said the government will still respond to individual requests for copies of a person's file.
Individuals must have photo identification and two other pieces of ID when they pick up their file once it's available at their local Human Resources office.
After June 30, individuals will have to apply to both the Human Resources department and the Canada Revenue agency to get their complete files.