CanadaCan a company keep my personal information indefinitely after I stop being a customer?
No, a company in Canada cannot keep your personal information indefinitely after you stop being a customer — it must destroy or anonymize the information when no longer needed for the identified purpose.
What the Law Says
Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law, PIPEDA, sets clear limits on how long organizations may keep personal information.
Under PIPEDA, organizations must comply with Schedule 1 — the CSA Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information. This Code includes Principle 4.5: 'Personal information shall not be retained longer than necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected.'
This means that once you stop being a customer and the organization no longer needs your information for legal, regulatory, or legitimate business purposes (e.g., tax records, warranty claims, fraud prevention), it must securely destroy, erase, or anonymize the data.
There is no fixed universal deadline (e.g., '6 months' or '2 years') in the law — the timeframe depends on the purpose and context. However, guidance from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) confirms that indefinite retention violates PIPEDA.
Statutory TextOrganizations must comply with the obligations set out in Schedule 1 (the CSA Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information).
— Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, s. 5 — Compliance with obligations
What to Do
Review the company’s privacy policy for stated retention periods.
Contact the organization’s privacy officer and ask how long they retain your data and why.
Request deletion of your personal information if retention is no longer necessary (under PIPEDA Principle 4.9).
File a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if the organization refuses without justification.
Sources
Not legal advice. This article is general information based on publicly available sources, written for educational purposes. Laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting on anything you read here. Last reviewed: 2026-06-08.