Canadian Government Urged to Block ICE Data Deal

A Canadian federal opposition party leader has called on Mark Carney’s government to block a controversial data-sharing deal between the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Canadian media giant Thomson Reuters.

Avi Lewis, the federal leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), expressed his concerns on Tuesday, demanding that Ottawa takes action against the contract and imposes stricter regulations on Canadian corporations that engage in business with ICE, following reports from Canada’s National Observer news website.

“My blood ran cold when I read about this development,” Lewis stated. “Complicity between Canadian corporations and ICE should absolutely be illegal.”

According to the $125 million (£94 million) agreement, ICE will gain access to Thomson Reuters’ Clear database, which encompasses property records, social media data, and geolocation information. This database is intended to assist in identifying instances of “voter fraud” and “immigration fraud,” as per reports.

In a procurement document, Thomson Reuters has claimed that it is the only provider that facilitates ICE’s continuous monitoring of millions of individuals. The partnership between Thomson Reuters and ICE has been ongoing since 2015, with the company initially supplying US officials access to the Clear database to aid in tracking individuals for deportation.

Critics have long argued that such databases could be leveraged to support human rights abuses. The current contract marks the first occasion where it explicitly states that the Clear software will be used to back the Trump administration’s attempts to tackle alleged “voter fraud.”

In a primetime television address, President Trump reiterated unfounded claims regarding the 2020 US presidential election, alleging widespread electoral fraud and non-citizen voting—assertions that have been widely discredited. Election officials from various political backgrounds responded to the speech, reaffirming the integrity of US elections.

Thomson Reuters is owned by the Woodbridge Company, the holding company for the Thomson family, noted as one of Canada’s wealthiest families. Beyond its media presence, the company operates the news agency Reuters and publishes the Globe and Mail newspaper.

A spokesperson for Thomson Reuters declined to comment on specific customer contracts, instead referring to a section of their website about the Clear tool. They aimed to clarify misconceptions, asserting that the tool is licensed solely to select businesses, law enforcement, and government agencies to aid in legitimate legal investigations.

The company insists that its investigative solutions do not function as surveillance tools. Lewis urged the federal government to deny export permits to Canadian firms selling equipment to ICE and to withdraw public subsidies or contracts from any companies associated with the agency. These calls echoed similar demands made by the NDP following two tragic shootings involving ICE in Minneapolis earlier this year.

“If the Carney government is serious about Canadian economic independence, it should move to block this contract,” Lewis stated.

The Prime Minister’s office has yet to respond to inquiries about the Thomson Reuters contract as of the time of this writing.

Joel Bakan, a law professor at the University of British Columbia and author, stated that the legal framework in Canada permits the government to prohibit companies from collaborating with ICE. He noted, “Companies are not allowed to engage with various rogue regimes, authoritarian regimes, and certainly enemy regimes.” He cited Canada’s Special Economic Measures Act as relevant legislation that could empower the government to restrict such trade, particularly in cases of human rights violations. “It’s a matter of realpolitik, but it is at least arguable that ICE has been involved in such violations,” he added.