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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsMaking it easier to securely move personal information between providers could help Canadians compare services and switch to better deals. The Competition Bureau estimates that data portability could generate $1.10 billion to $3.83 billion in annual time-and-money value in insurance alone—but those figures are modeled potential, not savings already realized or guaranteed for any household.
What data portability means
The Competition Bureau defines data portability as the ability to obtain and transfer personal data easily and securely between a data holder and another party. In practical terms, a person might take information held by one insurer and share it with another provider or an app to help compare options.
Portability can work in different ways:
- Manual download and upload: A person downloads a file from one provider and uploads it to another. This can be simple to understand, but relies on compatible, useful formats and requires the user to handle the transfer.
- One-time direct transfer: The person authorizes one provider to send information directly to another provider or service for a specific purpose.
- Ongoing authorized transfer: The person gives permission for data to be shared continuously. This can support services that need current information, but requires interoperable standards and careful controls over access.
The mode matters: a transfer is only useful if the receiving service can interpret and use the data, and the person can understand and control what is shared.
How much value the Bureau estimates
In its January 15, 2026 report, Your Data, Your Control, the Competition Bureau estimates that data portability could produce $1.10 billion to $3.83 billion in annual time-and-money value in the insurance market alone. The estimate includes up to $1.57 billion in monetary savings from switching to less expensive insurance and $2.26 billion in the value of time saved.
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These are estimates of possible value, not measured savings from actual consumer switching. They do not mean each Canadian household would save a particular amount, and they are not a realized total across insurance, banking, healthcare, or other sectors.
How the insurance estimate was developed
The Bureau surveyed 3,046 Canadians who currently pay for insurance and used a simulated home-insurance shopping exercise. Participants considered a hypothetical service called Open Insurance that would let them share current insurance data with other providers or third-party apps. The exercise varied the potential savings, governance arrangements, and the main benefit offered by the service.
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Because the shopping scenario was hypothetical, it shows how people responded to a modeled service—not what they actually saved after using a live portability system. The Bureau also reported that 18% of survey participants had switched providers in the previous three years and 25% had considered switching in the previous year. Those are results from this survey, not population-wide switching rates.
Why transferring data could make switching easier
Comparing providers can take time. A consumer may need to find policy details, enter the same information repeatedly, or work out whether two offers cover the same things. If useful information can be transferred securely in a format another provider can use, comparison and application processes may become less cumbersome.
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Lowering that friction could make it easier to consider competing offers, give consumers more choice, and help new services reach customers. The Bureau identifies potential applications beyond insurance, including banking, healthcare, social platforms, gaming, and cloud services. The insurance estimate should not be treated as an estimate for those other sectors.
Portability does not itself guarantee a better price or make a switch worthwhile. The receiving provider still has to offer a suitable service, and consumers may weigh coverage, quality, convenience, and other terms—not just price.
Why easier transfers may not be enough
People may stay with a provider because it is familiar, because they are loyal, or because changing feels like too much work. The Bureau also identifies status quo bias, inertia, uncertainty about the benefits, and concerns about privacy or hassle as barriers to switching. A smoother data transfer can address some administrative friction, but it cannot remove all of those reasons to stay.
The system’s design also affects whether consumers trust and use it. Important questions include whether users can give and withdraw meaningful consent, whether the transfer is secure, whether data formats work across providers, and who pays to build and maintain the infrastructure. Poor usability or unclear safeguards could undermine the benefits portability is meant to provide.
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What the Competition Bureau recommends—and what is in place
The Bureau is urging policymakers to develop a Canadian framework with fair rules, interoperable systems, user-friendly tools, oversight, and safeguards. It points to overseas examples including UK open banking and Australia’s Consumer Data Right as approaches to study. The Bureau’s recommendation is policy analysis; it does not mean a comprehensive Canadian data-portability framework is already operating across sectors.
As the Bureau puts it, “We encourage policymakers to develop dynamic regulations that balance competition and innovation with privacy protection.” The challenge is to make transfers useful enough to support competition while ensuring people retain control over sensitive information.
What Canadians can take from the estimate
The headline figure is best read as a case for examining how portability could reduce switching barriers, not as a personal savings forecast. The modeled insurance scenario suggests that easier data sharing may have substantial potential value if consumers can compare and change providers more easily. Whether that potential becomes real depends on the framework, the services available, consumer trust, and whether switching produces a better option for an individual.
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