In 1995 two non-profit consumer advocacy groups, the Federation of Quebec Consumer Groups (FNACQ) and the Public Interest Advocacy Center (PIAC), conducted a public opinion poll on how Canadians feel about the collection, communication, and use of their personal information. Below are some of their findings, reported in Surveying Boundaries: Canadians and their Personal Information, (September 1995).

1  In the report, Surveying Boundaries (1995), 76% of Canadians felt that they had less control over their personal information than they did ten years ago. This is up from 60% of Canadians who felt this way in the 1992 Ekos survey.

2  In the 1995 survey, 70% of Canadians said they would be at least moderately concerned about the sharing of personal information between government bodies, while 90% said they would be at least moderately concerned about such information sharing among private firms, or between government and private firms.

3  Surveying Boundaries reported that 95% of Canadians wanted to be informed about the uses to which their personal information is put. Ninety-four percent insisted that their permission be sought and given before any such information was passed on to another organization.

4  Eighty-two percent of Canadians surveyed in 1995 felt strongly that technological change should not place a greater burden (financial or otherwise) on them, as individuals, to protect their personal information.

5  Ninety-five percent of Canadians surveyed in 1995 had experienced unsolicited calls from telemarketers and 85% from charities. The Surveying Boundaries report states "there can be little doubt that personal information is being widely collected and traded without the knowledge or consent of data subjects, contrary to principles of information privacy."

6  The Surveying Boundaries report states that "Canadians are largely unaware of legislation and programs protecting the privacy of their personal information". Three quarters (73%) of the Canadians surveyed were unaware of any law or government program protecting their personal information and only 17% could cite an example.

7  The 1995 survey showed that few Canadians request to see personal information which is in the possession of businesses or institution. (Answers ranged from 1% for records held by landlords to 18% for medical records). Approximately one-fifth of respondents who obtained access to their personal file detected errors in it.

8 a)  In the 1995 survey, 83% of Canadians considered Call Display to be a desirable service while 40% thought that it invaded privacy. (b) Seventy-four percent thought that they should have access to Call Display Blocking while 47% thought it was not a good idea.

"Attitudes of Canadians about Call Display and the blocking function appear to be driven by a desire to maximize the benefits of the technology in respect of both control of incoming calls and control of outgoing information," the Surveying Boundaries report noted.

9  In the 1995 survey, only 7% of Canadians chose industry self-regulation over government regulation or public involvement. A large majority, (69%) chose an option, involving public involvement in rule-making and enforcement, which did not rely entirely on either government or private business.

10  In the 1995 survey, 87% of Canadians thought that the government should treat protection of personal information as a priority (but should not collect more taxes for this purpose!).