Jamil Jivani, who represents Bowmanville–Oshawa North, was among 15 Conservative MPs affected by the Nov. 17 data breach.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
The Conservative Party is investigating a data breach involving the financial records of 15 of its MPs.
The documents detail the individuals’ financial histories, including loans, mortgages or other money owing and details about whether they make their payments on time.
In a statement, party spokesperson Sarah Fischer said the party became aware of the breach on Monday.
“We are aware of an alleged breach and have been in direct communication with the individual victims of the illicit information disclosure,” she said in an e-mail.
The alleged breach has been reported to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and the RCMP, she said.
“We will work tirelessly to hold account anyone who would be responsible for the illegal distribution of confidential information.”
The data was e-mailed to party insiders by someone calling themselves “Rory McTory,” which is also a moniker the Conservatives used as a placeholder name for document mock-ups, test websites and other internal purposes.
A copy of the e-mail was obtained by The Globe and Mail.
The records – all reports from credit agencies – would have been submitted to the party when the MPs were seeking nominations.
The MPs represent ridings across the country and most were elected to Parliament for the first time in April. Those affected include high-profile Conservatives Jamil Jivani and Billy Morin, the former chief of the Enoch Cree Nation.
None of the affected MPs responded to a request for comment.
Conservative party databases have been breached in the past.
In the 2020 leadership race, there were allegations that data was stolen from one leadership campaign by a volunteer working with another.
In 2011, a group called LulzRaft claimed responsibility for breaking into the party’s website and posting a false story about then-prime minister Stephen Harper, as well as accessing a list of donors and publishing their information.