Statistics Canada Chief Privacy Officer Upholds Confidentiality of Physicians’ Tax Data Joint Response from Statscan & CRA

The Ontario Specialists Association (OSA) has received a joint response (link) from the Chief Privacy Officers of Statistics Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency stating they will not proceed with the OMA’s proposed project concerning the use of Ontario physicians’ confidential tax information.

The Chief Privacy Officer said that both Statscan and the CRA take the privacy of Canadians very seriously. Statscan indicated that any reversal of that position would require addressing the

concerns of members who objected to the release of their personal tax information. Based on the feedback of thousands of Family Practice physicians and a broad cross-section of specialists (beyond the OSA’s own member specialties), we do not foresee that occurring.

In mid-November 2020 the OSA notified Ontario doctors of the OMA’s request for individual physicians’ private tax data to be aggregately collected by specialty. The OSA provided colleagues with a means to advise the federal government of their objection to this unconsented collection of personal information. Thousands of doctors immediately objected to the proposed project.

The OMA has been notified by Statistics Canada of this decision and the federal government’s decision to not provide any personal tax information, aggregate or otherwise, to the OMA.