Canada introduces Bill C-36 to curb price inflation based on shopper data

On June 15, 2026, the Canadian government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney introduced Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, in Parliament. The bill is meant to replace PIPEDA, the outdated privacy law in force since 1998, and to restrict the practice of charging individual shoppers inflated prices based on their personal data.

What the new law prohibits

The bill targets so-called surveillance pricing. Under this practice, companies collect personal data about shoppers, including purchase history, online behavior, geolocation, and other signals, and use it to show different people different prices for the same product or service. Bill C-36 introduces new restrictions specifically on this kind of data use for individualized price inflation.

• Date introduced: June 15, 2026
• Official name: Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act (Bill C-36)
• Law being replaced: PIPEDA, in force in Canada since 1998
• Regulatory focus: the use of personal data to inflate prices for individual shoppers
• Sponsor: the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney

Which law it replaces

PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) is Canada's core private-sector privacy law. It was passed in 1998, long before modern data collection, personalized advertising, and algorithmic pricing. Today those practices let companies build detailed profiles of individual shoppers and adjust prices to them in real time. Bill C-36 is meant to bring regulation in line with the realities of 2026.

This is not Canada's first attempt to overhaul its outdated privacy law: a similar reform in the previous Parliament was never completed. Bill C-36 is the government's new attempt to close that gap.

How other countries regulate it

Canada is not the only jurisdiction where surveillance pricing has drawn regulators' attention. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission launched a study of the practice among major retailers and tech companies back in 2024, examining how personal data is used to set individualized prices. Bill C-36 puts Canada in the same group of countries where algorithmic pricing based on shopper data is shifting from a marketing practice to a subject of dedicated regulation.

Why details are still lacking

As The Next Web notes, it remains unclear at the time of the bill's introduction how surveillance pricing itself will be verified and proven, meaning what specific oversight and enforcement mechanisms regulators will get. The bill's name and goal are clearly stated, but its enforcement provisions had not been disclosed at the time of publication.

What it means

Canada is becoming another jurisdiction where regulators explicitly identify algorithmic pricing based on personal data as a distinct problem that requires a dedicated law, not just general data protection rules. For businesses that use personalized pricing, this is a signal to prepare for stricter rules, even if the enforcement details of Bill C-36 have yet to be worked out as the bill moves through Parliament.