The sharing of personal information between government departments for enforcement purposes has been included in a proposed law, published Friday.

According to the plan, the changes would let immigration authorities access the secure Income Verification Program as a source to identify “possible false representation, fraud, concealment of material circumstances, or discrepancies” provided by applicants for Canadian immigration, as well as landed immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship.

“There are a number of key partners involved in administering and enforcing immigration, citizenship and passport programs, and delivering programs and services to Canadian citizens. For example, various lines of business within CIC involve the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC); federal, provincial and territorial organizations responsible for delivering programs and services; and enforcement partners such as the RCMP,” says the plan.

“There is a need to clarify and make explicit the legislative authority for CIC to share personal information through its different business lines and with these partners. In the past, CIC has relied on the Privacy Act to support some information sharing. However, this has created uncertainty regarding what information can and should be shared, and has limited CIC’s ability to share information.”