Elections Canada has been collecting personal information about Canadians under 18, even though it has no authority to do so because they are too young to vote, says a new report from Canada's auditor general and privacy commissioner.
Elections Canada estimates that it currently holds identity information on about 104,000 Canadians under the age of 18, said the report tabled in the House of Commons Thursday.
However, the report found that for the most part, Elections Canada and three other institutions audited collect only the information they are authorized to collect.
The report was one of two prepared jointly by Auditor General Sheila Fraser and privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart to look at the practices of four government departments with databases "housing vast quantities of personal information" such as birthdates and addresses:
