NDP wants to ban “monitoring-based pricing”
(Ottawa) The NDP is expected to table a motion on Wednesday asking the government to ban a practice known as “surveillance-based pricing,” which New Democrats consider unfair to consumers.
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The text of the motion describes the practice as businesses using a customer’s personal data, such as their search history or the length of their visit to a web page, to increase prices both in-store and online.
New Democratic Party Leader Avi Lewis cites the example of a parent with a sick baby being charged a higher price for a thermometer or medication because of their internet search history.
Manitoba’s NDP government introduced legislation last month to ban the practice provincially.
Mr. Lewis wants this idea to be adopted at the federal level, because Ottawa has mechanisms to which the provinces do not have access.
A recent poll from Abacus Data suggests that 52% of Canadians want to see this practice banned.
