NDP to table motion seeking federal ban on “surveillance pricing”

The federal NDP is expected to introduce a motion Wednesday calling on the government to ban a practice it describes as “surveillance pricing,” arguing it unfairly targets consumers using personal data.

According to the text of the motion, the practice involves companies using information such as a customer’s search history or the amount of time spent on a webpage to adjust prices, both online and in physical stores. The party says this can result in different consumers being charged different prices for the same product.

NDP Leader Avi Lewis said the approach could disproportionately affect vulnerable people, pointing to examples where individuals searching for urgent medical items could face higher prices based on their online behaviour. He said the party wants federal action to address what it views as a regulatory gap.

The push follows legislation introduced last month by the Manitoba NDP government to prohibit the practice at the provincial level. Lewis said a national ban is needed because Ottawa has regulatory tools, particularly around competition and data use, that provinces do not.

Public opinion appears divided but leaning toward action. According to polling by Abacus Data, 52 per cent of Canadians support banning surveillance-based pricing practices.