OTTAWA – Canada’s privacy commissioner and key representatives from major tech companies are adding their voices to calls for significant amendments to the Liberals’ contentious bill, which proposes a revised “lawful access” regime that’s meant to make it easier for law enforcement to access digital evidence.
Testifying on Tuesday, representatives from two of Canadians’ most-used technology companies – Google and Apple – and other experts sounded alarms about implications for Canadians’ use of encryption services, overbroad new ministerial powers and the security risk of retaining metadata.
Bill C-22, titled the “Lawful Access Act, 2026,” seeks to force electronic service providers to update their systems to assist law enforcement and Canada’s national intelligence agency CSIS in accessing online evidence as part of investigations.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan has also submitted what she described as “a whole slew of amendments” she’s hoping are considered, although her party has no members on the committee.
“While there’s been some improvements to [the bill] they also brought in a new component on metadata… which is deeply concerning,” Kwan said Tuesday, also voicing hesitation about the implications for allowing governments access to encryption services, and what vulnerabilities that could open for malicious actors.
“I understand that we need to modernize the laws in terms of lawful access in this digital age… however, we also need to make sure that you strike the right balance,” she said.
Kwan said if the changes the NDP want to see aren’t made, the government won’t have found the right balance between empowering law enforcement and respecting civil liberties.
